Guardian Angel
by HannApple3
Summary: After the death of Jocelyn and Valentine, Clary and her brother Jonathan are sent to the New York institute. But when Clary starts getting strange dreams about her parents, she begins to doubt her memories. What if not everything she remembers is real? What if there was more to the murder than she thought? Please R&R!
1. Prologue

**A/N**

 **Hey mate! Thank you so much for clicking on this story! So I know I have a lot of unfinished stories, but I just read the Mortal Instruments (BEST SERIES EVER! AM I RIGHT!?) and i'm going through that time of life where my every move revolves around Shadowhunters, so here I am, with a brand new story, and a brand new idea! If you are reading this (which you are XD) then I want to thank you for your support! It really lifts my spirit when I see someone enjoying literature just as much as I do! Enjoy!**

 **I do not own any of the characters. All rights to to Cassandra Clare**

 **Okay sorry, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

It was raining heavily outside the Gard. Grey clouds were rolling across the sky, and the wind echoed throughout the Council Halls. The Members of the Clave sat around the room, arguing, and making very little progress in their discussion of the murder. Tension was in the air more than ever between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders seated for the council.

"I can assure you, Consul. As far as my knowledge goes, we night children had no involvement in the murders."

"And neither have the Warlocks. I can vow that much."

Jia Penhallow sighed. "Anselm Nightshade, Magnus Bane, please be seated." The warlock and the vampire took their seats, and Penhallow stood to speak.

"You all have heard the children of the night and the children of Lilith deny the blame. For now, both parties will remain without blame. I call the matter abstained until further investigation."

The silence broke around the room, as everyone stood to their feet, protesting.

"Silence!" Penhallow cried, and once more, the halls took an eerie quiet as everyone took their seats. Someone stood up.

"Consul, all evidence points to the vampires and warlocks. The Morgenstern Manor was surrounded by dark magic. The bodies of Valentine and Jocelyn were drained of blood. And they are not the first! They cannot remain innocent. They have broken the accords, and must be dealt with accordingly."

"With all due respect Rosales," the consul stated, "that is the only evidence we have, and unless the parties claim guilty, we shall assume otherwise."

"But they are merely downworlders! We can't take their word!" Rosales cried.

Lucian Graymark stood, his teeth clenched and his hands in fists to control his anger. But when he spoke, his voice was calm. "To say we are merely downworlders is to revoke our seat on the council," he said. "Your distrust to us downworlders has led to disaster before. Is that not why we are here seated among you today? To make the same mistake so soon, Rosales, is the way of a mundane. Not of a shadowhunter."

"Point taken. Please be seated Mr Graymark. I understand you have close relations with the Morgenstern family, and for that, I'm truly sorry," Penhallow said. She turned to the other Shadowhunter. "Thank you for your input Mr Rosales, but as of now, vampires and warlocks shall remain innocent. We now have more pressing matters to discuss. Treason, committed by nephilim."

More cries were heard, and chaos broke out once again. Jia held up her hand for silence.

"The murders have given evidence of demonic acts, whether it be a downworlder or a demon. Both cannot enter the walls of Idris. Only a shadowhunter could have let them in."

A female voice spoke, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Nothing," was her reply.

Diana Wrayburn, the owner of the voice, stood. "I suggest we keep the information within these halls. If there is an enemy living among us, perhaps he is not seated in the council, and therefore, we must not feed him more information. I say no one hears about what we have discussed today, about the investigation of these murders. No one is to know what happened."

The consul looked grim.

"That is not recommended Wrayburn. The people must know about these murders, so precaution can be taken. As Rosales mentioned before, this was not the first murder, and i'm willing to bet it won't be the last. Are you willing to take these measures at the expense of the safety of fellow Shadowhunters?" she asked.

"It is not the perfect option," Diana said, "but it is the only choice we have."

"And what of the Morgenstern children?" Someone called out.

"We will have them believe their parents were killed in a demon attack. As far as anyone is concerned, Valentine and Jocelyn were sent on an assignment outside of Idris, and were attacked by demons." Diana said. "A warlock should be able to convince them of that." She gave a pointed look to Magnus Bane.

Jia looked thoughtful. "I do not like this. The clave does not operate on deception and concealment, but Diana is right. It is the only defence we have. May Raziel forgive us all for what we are about to do, especially to young Jonathan and Clarissa. What shall we do with the children? They can no longer live in the Morgenstern Manor, and have yet to reach the age of adulthood."

"They can live with me," Lucian offered. "As a former parabatai of Valentine, and as a friend, I am willing to take their kids in. They are comfortable with me."

"If you are talking about that old Chinese restaurant in New York, then I would highly disagree," Jia said. "It is hardly honouring Valentine if you plan to raise them up in a werewolf lair. They must be trained in the ways of a shadowhunter. If no one is willing to accommodate them in an institute, they will be sent to the Shadowhunter Academy."

"We can accommodate them," Maryse Lightwood's voice rang out. "Jonathan and Clary are welcome to live in the New York institute. They shall be trained well. The institute is within a few miles of Lucian's werewolf pack. "

Jia nodded. "Very well. It is settled then."

The council stood to their feet, and offered light clapping. As the representatives dispersed, Magnus approached Jia, his face set in a look of uneasiness.

"You know this is wrong, don't you Jia?" the warlock said. "You're asking me to replace their memories of their parents. Surely you know this isn't right, especially so close to their death. If they ever find out-"

"They'll be crushed, I know. They'll lose all their trust in the Clave. But surely you know Magnus, we are at a dead end. If they ever find out, I will take full responsibility," Jia said. "I'm sorry, but there is no other way. I'll bring them in shortly."

Magnus looked troubled. "And what if we are doing this for nothing? For all we know, the traitor could have been seated on the council. What then?"

"Then God help us all…"

* * *

 **So, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review so I know what you guys think. I welcome all constructive criticism. I'll try to update this story as soon as possible, maybe next week or something (although I wouldn't count on my promise, I'm usually bad at those when it comes to story writing XD) but I'll do my best!**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **~Hannapple3**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **Hello again my happy readers. Pleaseeee don't behead me! So I know I said that I was going to update in a week, but I was/am in that period where homework was piling up just before school starts, so I've been a bit occupied. Anyways, thank you so much for your lovely reviews and favourites! Those meant the world to me. I love you guys so much eep! XD Stay awesome!**

 **I don't own any of the characters, all rights go to Cassandra Clare**

 **Okay, on with the story...**

* * *

 **Part One: The Ghosts That We Love**

I hear your singing voice in the hushed melody of the whispering trees

I see your smiling face, dancing with untamed laughter in the heart of a fire

I feel your tears dropping like pins onto my stinging skin with every storm that brews

And everything that was once home is now growing foreign

Because you are in the trees and in the fire and in the storm

Because you are the ghost that I love

* * *

 **Chapter One**

As I took in my surroundings, I couldn't help but think about how familiar everything was. The tall tree in the middle of the field, ripe with blossoms and lush green leaves was just as I remembered it yesterday. The small lake sitting beneath it sparkled brilliantly, shining its light back to the sky. The smell of my horses lazing around in their barn not far from here was the same as it was before. There was something strange about looking at something so familiar, yet perceiving it in such an alien way. Nothing had changed about this place since yesterday, nothing except one thing.

I had changed.

Memories ran through my head, like my life was stuck on replay, leading up to one moment. I remembered everything so clearly, how the feeling of normality could change to something so horrific in just a second. That moment was the day I lost my family, my home and my life as I knew it.

* * *

" _Stop it!" I screamed, desperately trying to control my breathing. My stomach ached almost unbearingly as my chest spasmed with yet another burst of laughter. A face popped up in front of me, framed with raven black hair. His lips were pulled into a crazy grin and there was a comical spark in his dark eyes._

" _Jesus," Sebastian exclaimed. "I didn't think it was possible to be that ticklish."_

 _As his poking ceased, I flopped onto the ground and sighed. This was a moment worth savouring. Sebastian had spent most of his time at the Shadowhunter Academy, and it had felt like forever since I got to hang out with my best friend. My glance shifted from Sebastian to my brother Jonathan who was currently passed out on the couch behind us, snoring softly, the corner of his mouth damp with saliva. I smirked to myself. Any third party could see that we thought of this place as a second home._

 _My instincts broke in, and I scrambled away, narrowly avoiding Sebastian's attempt to grab me again. I rolled to my feet, knees bent in a crouching stance. I signalled playfully with my fingers for him to come closer, then balled my fists up, shifting my weight from one foot to another._

" _Cmon Verlac, what are you waiting for?" I mocked lightly. "Give it your best shot."_

 _Sebastian laughed. "You know I don't hit girls, Morgenstern, although it's tempting with you."_

 _A loud snort came from behind us, followed by a yawn. "As if you could take her anyways," Jon's sleepy voice said. "You're forgetting she's Valentine's daughter. No one can beat her in a spar except me," he added. I scoffed at his arrogance._

" _That doesn't explain this morning," I told him._

" _But it does explain the night before."_

 _Sebastian laughed. "Go back to sleep, you big baby. Clary and I are in the middle of something."_

 _I grinned, focusing my attention back to Sebastian, but I noticed his eyes flick from mine to the doorway behind me, a confused expression taking over his features. I turned to see what he was looking at. The sight halted me. Élodie Verlac, Sebastian's aunt, was in deep conversation with Jia Penhallow. They spoke in hushed whispers, occasionally glancing at me and Jon. I caught a few words, not enough to form a story. I frowned. Suddenly Élodie gave a sharp gasp, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth. She stared at me, her eyes full of sympathy and sadness. Her eyes filled with tears._

" _What's going on?" I said, no longer able to withhold my curiosity. Silence followed. Élodie walked over to me blankly, as if she were in a trance, and wrapped her arms around me, muttering incoherently under her breath. I glanced at Jon, who looked up at me, like something dawned over him._

" _No," he breathed. My breathing quickened as my mind thought of the worst._

" _Élodie?" I whispered softly. "Where are my parents?" I asked, almost to scared to hear the answer._

 _But there was no answer._

* * *

My eyes stung with tears, turning the whites to red. I blinked them away, refusing to let them fall though. I was never one for crying. _"Tears are a sign of surrender,"_ My father's voice echoed in my head. _"Morgensterns don't surrender to the enemy. We face them head on."_ My father is the strongest shadowhunter I know. _Knew,_ I corrected myself. That was death, ripping the barrier of the past and present.

It wasn't uncommon for shadowhunters to die. Majority of the shadowhunter population in Idris had deceased family members, and the number was growing everyday. That was the one difference between a shadowhunter and a demon that I never truly appreciated until now. As we fought, we died. Demons did not. I never cared for that difference. I hated them for it now.

"Clary," a distant voice called out, breaking my line of depressing thoughts. I didn't have the energy to answer. I could hear footsteps approaching on the gravel near where I was seated on the grass. I groaned inwardly and looked around. My brother stopped in front of me.

"Clary, they're opening up the portal in half an hour. Jia told me to tell you that if there are any goodbyes you need to give, you should do them now. They're not allowing anyone into the gard." _Half an hour_ … reality hit me like a stone to the face. _We're leaving in half an hour…_ I looked up to Jon's face, awaiting my response.

"I already said my goodbyes," I lied. He looked at me sceptically.

"Did you say goodbye to Sebastian?" he asked. "You're not allowed to come back until you're eighteen, you know. That's not for another two years."

I nodded. The truth was, I didn't have any plans on coming back. This place was filled with too many memories. It was like drawing my life out on paper, and having it erased. Faded pockets of grey still haunted the page like scars. New York was like a blank sheet of paper for me to start over. I wasn't sure Jon would understand that, but I was thankful he didn't call me out on my lie.

"I'm ready. If you're ready, we can head up there now. No use hanging around right?" I said.

"Alright, let's go."

It wasn't long until we found a rhythm of comfortable silence. I flicked my gaze over the buildings as I walked by. As much as I wanted to leave, there were things here that I would miss. The view of Lake Lyn, the barnyard smell, the manor… I closed my eyes, picturing everything in my head, willing the memory to last.

We arrived at the Gard to find Maryse Lightwood and Jia talking amongst themselves, and a warlock standing off to the side, watching us approach. Glamour aside, he looked relatively human for a warlock, except for the two gleaming cat eyes staring at us unnervingly, almost as if he expected us to react in some way. I shrugged it off. As Jia caught sight of us, she ceased her talking and faced us. She tried for a smile, but her face was filled with sympathy, something I really didn't appreciate.

"Jonathan and Clarissa Morgenstern," she said. "You haven't met the head of the New York institute yet, have you?"

"Only from conversation," Jon said, glancing over at Maryse. I secretly thanked Jon for speaking for me. My voice felt choked up in my throat.

"Well this is Maryse Lightwood," Jia said. "She'll be your guardian until you're eighteen."

I nodded, and glanced over to the warlock. He inclined his head, making the sparkles on his face shimmer in the light.

"Magnus Bane," he said.

"Hello," I offered timidly. I frowned at my small voice. If there was one thing I didn't want to seem right now, it was weak.

"When you're ready," Jia said to the warlock. He nodded, and stepped away from us, his hands sparking with a blue light. Jia turned to me and Jon.

"I wish you all the best. Train well and make your parents proud. Hopefully I'll see you in a year or two." With that, she started down the hill. I looked at Jon, who took my hand in his. I smiled, grateful for the comfort. _You okay?_ he mouthed to me. I nodded and turned to warlock. In front of him was a vortex of colour, swirling around, almost like liquid.

"I'll be right behind you," Maryse said. Jon let go of my hand, and walked through the portal. As I watched the portal swallow him, I took a deep breath. I turned around once more, taking in my home. I savoured the picture, before I stepped through the portal, and was enveloped in a gush of blinding colour sensations.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked it! To be honest, I liked the prologue better than this one, but oh well... that means there's room for improvement. I've been told that my plots usually develop a little too fast, so I've tried to tone it down a little. I just hope it wasn't borderline dull or anything. Meh, there's a gajillion more chapters to improve XD Sooooooo... I will _loosely_ promise you an update next week. This week for me is going to be pretty hectic with Chinese New Year and homework catch up, but I'll update as soon as humanly possible.**

 **Happy reading!  
** **~Hannapple3**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Hello again my happy readers! I am back yet again with another (hopefully improved) chapter, and within a week too! WOOHOO TO ME WHO IS HARDLY EVER ON TIME! So in this chapter, you shall meet the one and only JACE HERONDALE and gang of course, but also JACE HERONDALE and JACE HERONDALE! And also not to mention JACE... yeah anyways, enjoy!**

 **I don't own any of the characters. All rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

 **On with the story**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

The first thing I noticed about New York was the crowd of people swarming the footpaths and roads. Mundanes flowed endlessly like a stream of water, constant and never ending. What I assumed were automobiles were jammed up, their drivers beeping angrily at one another, barely moving. I wondered a little further out of the quiet alleyway I materialised in. I couldn't help but feel so small and insignificant in this place. For a species that was supposedly inferior to shadowhunters, the mundane world was full of life, compared to the peaceful streets of Alicante, and I loved it.

I turned back around, only just noticing my lack of company. My eyes found Jonathan standing off to one corner, talking to a warlock. Her demonic feature was a lot more obvious than Magnus'. Her skin took a dark shade of blue, contrasting with her glossy white hair. She was quite pretty, and thankfully immune to my brother's obvious attempt of flirting, I noticed, as she looked away from my brother almost irritably. I smirked. _Always a sucker for a pretty face,_ I thought.

I walked up to Maryse, who was deep in muted conversation with an unattractive middle aged mundane. I stood a little off to the side awkwardly, waiting for her to finish. The man noticed my presence and gave me a blackened toothless grin. I couldn't help but shudder. The way he carried himself reminded me of werewolves high on faerie drugs that we were occasionally sent to control. Always drunk and rowdy. He focused his attention back to Maryse, who was becoming more and more frustrated.

She pursed her lips together. "And you're telling me this is the only cab around at the moment. Unbelievable."

"Hey lady," he said. "We aren't God, ya know. We can't control traffic, and we can't control difficult clients such as yourself," he said. "Either two of you come with me, or quit arguing and wait for a bigger cab."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. Jonathan stood behind me, his eyebrows raised. I shrugged, answering his silent question.

"Transport," I told him.

He smirked. "Shouldn't be a problem for us," he said. I hit his shoulder, ignoring his protests. "What? I'm just saying, if it were up to me, we'd be at the institute already."

"Well it's not up to you, and you know we can't let them know," I told him. He scoffed, waving me off.

"They won't," he said, walking towards Maryse and the cab driver. I groaned. _Whatever. His fault if he kills himself._ I turned to the blue warlock, who was closing the portal behind us. She looked up in acknowledgement, and extended her hand.

"Catarina Loss," she said.

I took her hand and shook it. "Clary Morgenstern," I said. She smiled.

"So," she said, turning back to work on the portal. "Your brother is quite the flirt." I snorted.

"You don't know half of it. He lives life for the both of us," I told her. "Parties, girls, you name it." She raised one eyebrow, which made me insanely jealous. It was a skill I had yet to obtain.

"You don't go to parties?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Not unless it's for a demonic purpose. According to Jon, I'm socially impaired. Parties aren't really my thing."

"Then I don't think you'd like my friend. I believe you met him in Alicante not long ago," she told me. "That would be the sparkly blue one."

"Oh, that one," I said. "Magnus Bane. Well… he seems like the partying type. He was certainly… glamorous…" There wasn't a better fitting word to describe him than that. Catarina laughed and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it a moment later, looking over my shoulder, her face hardening slightly. I turned around. Maryse was walking towards us.

"Bad terms with shadowhunters?" I asked Catarina. She shook her head.

"Just the Lightwoods. They don't like to associate with downworlders. Especially Maryse. I'm guessing it's a pride thing." She plastered a smile onto her face, before turning her attention to her.

"All set?" she asked her in a pleasant tone.

Maryse didn't seem to buy it. "The cab only has enough space for two. Your brother Jonathan volunteered to wait for another cab," she said. "We should get going soon." _As if he's going to wait for another cab,_ I thought. I looked at Catarina, who shrugged.

"Well, I have to say, you're not nearly as bad as other nephilim I know. Good luck at the institute," the warlock said, stretching out her hand. I extended mine, thinking she was offering me a handshake, but instead, she slipped something into my palm.

"Courtesy of your werewolf friend, Luke. He told me you might want it," she said.

Curiously, I looked at the small piece of cloth in my hand, unfolding it carefully. When the content was revealed, I inhaled sharply. I was holding my father's Morgenstern ring. I frowned. Normally family rings were passed down to the eldest child. This ring should have been Jonathan's.

"Luke said that it would mean more to you than to your brother," Catarina said. "Your parents weren't one to follow rules anyway. The ring is yours now. Keep it safe."

I nodded, unable to speak. Memories flashed back in my head overwhelmingly, both sweet and bitter. Gasping silently, I slipped the ring onto my finger, and looked away, regaining control over my mind. I looked over to where Maryse was waiting for me.

"Thank you Catarina. I really hope we'll see each other again," I told her.

"Oh, you can count on it, shadowhunter," she said back. I walked over to Maryse, who had already gotten into the car. I climbed in behind her.

"So how far away is the institute?" I asked her, trying to break the awkward silence that was already developing. _By the angel,_ I thought. _This is going to be a long drive._ I distractedly glanced out the window. Catarina had disappeared.

"About ten minutes. Not too far from here. I hope your brother will be alright though"

I looked over at her and smiled thinly. "Don't worry. He'll be just fine."

* * *

The Institute looked like a pocket of Idris hiding in a foreign world. Long before we arrived, I could make out church steeples, distinguished by the cross placed on top, marking it as hallowed ground. As we neared the church, I placed my hand on the car window, looking out in awe. It's grand atmosphere and thick, high defensive walls were similar to the buildings back home. Stepping out of the car, I looked around me. The institute looked a lot taller from here. I absentmindedly followed Maryse up the steps.

My high impression of the building didn't last though. As soon as Maryse opened the door, a blurry figure sprang through the entrance. I had just enough time to make out a tall, masculine figure before it ploughed into me, knocking me off my feet and sending me flying onto the grass outside. I let out a strangled gasp, my lungs collapsing under a weight resting on my chest. I moved my face to the side to avoid breathing in the blonde hair in front of my face.

"Jace!" Maryse cried out indignantly. "By the angel! She hasn't even settled yet!" She marched forward, no doubt to say a few more words, but was interrupted.

"Get off her right now!" another voice barked from further away. I strained my neck, spying Jon standing a few feet away, crossing his arms together, looking furious. Maryse looked up.

"That was fast. How long did you have to wait for another cab?" she asked. Jon was a smooth liar, but instead he chose to ignored her question.

"Dude! Did you not hear me? Get off my sister!" he called out. Jace groaned and pulled himself away from me, rising to his knees. The sun shone behind his back, shadowing his figure. Dark blond ringlets hung slightly past his chin. His wide eyes were an unusual shade of gold, matching his tanned complexion. He had a slim figure, his muscles lean rather than bulky. His thin lips pulled into a grin.

"Sorry for that. I would say it was my fault, but–"

"JACE HERONDALE!" a feminine voice screamed. A dark haired girl emerged from the doorway. "WHERE IS THAT LITTLE COW?! COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A–" she stopped short when she realised there was an audience. She smiled sweetly, her face changing instantly. She was beautiful. Her long raven hair framed her face delicately. Her eyes were black and predatory, like a crow's, glinting with humour. I glanced at Jonathan, who was staring. No surprise there.

"Hello. Are you the Morgensterns?" she asked. Maryse sighed.

"This is Clarissa," she gestured to me, "and her brother Jonathan. Honestly you two, look at the way you've presented yourselves to our guests! What does that say about your father and I?"

The she girl ignored her, locking eyes with me. "I like you." she turned to Jace, who was standing a bit away from me after Jon's outburst. "I like her. She's quite pretty don't you think? And yet she looks tough as leather."

Jace scoffed arrogantly. "Tough as your stir fry would be a better comparison."

"Can't be that bad, can it?" my brother asked.

"Saying that implies you would like to try it. Unless you enjoy stomach cramps and diarrhea for a week, I highly recommend reconsidering."

The girl glared at him. "Shut up," she said, before looking back at me. She grabbed a lock of my red hair, studying it. "Is that a natural colour?" she asked. "Hmm, never styled a redhead before." I pulled my out of Isabelle's hand slowly.

"Uh, thanks?" I said, not quite sure how to react. She seemed unfazed.

"I'm Isabelle Lightwood by the way. Queen with more balls than anyone living in the institute."

"You wound me," Jace said in a bored tone. "Now that our dull introductions have come to an end, shall we head inside?" He disappeared inside, not waiting for our responses. I shrugged, following his lead, before feeling a tap at my shoulder.

"I'm going to talk to Maryse about our belongings. You coming?" Jon asked. I shook my head.

"I'm good," I said, before walking into the institute.

Instantly, I was hit by the pleasant aroma of food, causing my stomach to protest. _When was the last time I ate?_ I wondered absently. Isabelle, who was right behind me, chuckled.

"You hungry?" she asked. I blushed.

"A little. I wasn't very hungry back in Idris," I said. Isabelle grabbed my hand and pulled me to the kitchen.

"Well you're in luck. My brother just brought back food from Taki's," she said.

I frowned. "Who's Taki?" I asked her. There was a laugh from behind me. I turned around. Jace sat himself on one of the stools.

"Taki's, my little apprentice, is the love of my life. It is the very existence of my being, the–"

"'It?' I thought you said she was your girlfriend," I said, confused. Jace clucked at me, waving his finger.

"How very fast of you to assume I'm into girls. Not that I blame you of course. I know how disappointed you'd be if–"

"Jace!" Isabelle scolded, whacking his cheek with a spoon. "Sorry Clary. Jace can be a big doofus. Taki's is a restaurant. The best in New York, actually." Isabelle walked back behind the bench, grabbing another spoon. "See what you did Jace? Now we have one extra thing to wash, because of your big mouth." She sighed irritably.

"What's wrong with the other spoon?" I asked her. She looked back at me.

"Well I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat his face," she said.

"Interesting choice of words Izzy," Jace said. I knew that was coming. Isabelle whirled around, launching her new spoon in the air, aimed for Jace's head, who ducked instinctively. The spoon clattered to the floor at someone's feet.

"Alright, what did he do this time?" The boy asked. He looked slightly older than Isabelle and Jace, around eighteen. His features were similar to Isabelle's, same raven black hair and high cheekbones. His eyes, however, were a unique shade of electric blue, a rare combination that he pulled of handsomely.

"Jace can't keep his mouth shut for one minute! He was terrorising poor Clary, and she wasn't even here for a minute!" she screamed, at the same time Jace shouted, "How is it my fault? Isabelle said something about eating my face, and she kept chucking spoons at me unprovoked!"

"Alright, both of you shut up. You're being immature." he turned to me. "And you must be the poor terrorised Clary. Hodge sent me to get you. He wants to have a little chat with you," he said. "Also, he says to stop making a ruckus. It's giving him a headache."

Jace gasped. I groaned inwardly, waiting to find out what other sarcastic comments he would sprout.

"Alec, you cruel beast!" he cried in mock agony. "Are you depriving her of her Taki's?"

"It's alright," I said, my tone more irritated than I meant for it to sound. "Anything to escape this madness."

The boys smiled. "I'm Alec, for the record. This way." He disappeared through the corridor. I followed behind.

* * *

 **Alrighty, so there you go! Don't worry, #clace is on the way. First the introductions and first impression, then the chemistry. But I do have a dilemma with one of the ships. Should I go for izzyXsimon or izzyXjonathan? I also experimented a rude Alec, like in the City of Bones, but it didn't really work out. Jace hasn't really done too much to Clary to make him jealous yet, and it would be a bit difficult to develop Alec's character into a mean one later on. I'll consider him having a crush on Jace though. Tell me what you think, and I'll try to accommodate. I'll update in about a week's time (That's probably going to be the usual timing from now on). Please review and tell me what you think.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **~Hannapple3**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Hiya guys. DON'T KILL ME I KNOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO UPDATE LAST WEDNESDAY BUT LET'S ALL JUST ACCEPT THAT I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON AND THIS PROBABLY WON'T BE THE LAST TIME I DO THAT. Alright, that's out of the way... I only have one response as to whether I should ship Isabelle with Jonathan or Simon. Please send me a review as to which ship you prefer.**

 **I do not own any of the characters. All rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

 **On with the story**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

"So, what do you think so far?"

I barely registered the voice as I stared off into space.

"Clary?"

I snapped to attention, focusing on the boy walking beside me.

"Sorry what?" I asked, slightly embarrassed. Alec looked at me.

"I asked what you thought so far," he said.

"Oh, the institute is great. It's definitely not what I was expecting." I thought about it for a moment. "I thought it would be different, more like the shadowhunter academy in Idris. It seems more like a manor to me. More... family."

"It is," Alec told me. "Family I mean. It's only ever Isabelle, Jace and I. Hodge doesn't come out of his study enough to count."

I frowned. Alec had referred to Jace as his family, but his gold colouring to Alec and Isabelle's dark look told me otherwise. "Jace," I pondered. "Jace isn't your brother is he? Isabelle called him a Herondale earlier on." Somehow, I was curious about the blond haired boy.

"No, Jace lived in Idris until he was ten. Got moved to New York after his stepfather died," Alec told me. I frowned.

"Stepfather?" I asked.

"Stepfather," he said, clearly not wanting to share anymore than that. He paused for a minute. "Why the sudden interest in Jace?"

"I don't know," I said. "He's just… an aggravating character."

Alec's eyebrow rose. _Damn,_ I thought. _Another one._ "He's also my parabatai."

"Oh," I felt my face heat up. "I didn't know that."

"You wouldn't have," Alec said. He looked up. "We're here." He stepped forward and pushed open the door, jerking his chin towards the entrance, urging me to go on. I looked at him hesitantly before stepping through the doorway and descending the few flights of stairs. In the back of my mind, I noticed Alec close the door behind me. Taking a good look around the room, I gasped, my jaw going slack.

Books. All piled up onto shelves that reached the ceiling. Centuries of knowledge stored into one room. I closed my mouth hastily, wandering around the tall pillars. I travelled around the room, twirling around to take in the beauty of this hall. _My mother would have loved this,_ I thought, as I walked up to one of the shelves, removing a book and staring at it in my hands. It had a beautiful hard, gold cover, swirling with black runes of knowledge and strength. The bold cursive letters reading _'The Star of David'_ was imprinted at the bottom. My fingers moved to open the page, when a voice sounded from behind me, making my hands jerk, dropping the book onto the floor with a thud.

"Jocelyn always had an interest in the stories," it said. I whirled around, my eyes landing on a middle aged man, his grey hair thinning slightly. His smile creased his skin at the corner of his eyes.

"You knew my mother?" I asked him. He chuckled, and shook his head.

"Not particularly. But I knew your father like that back of my hand," He said. "I did however know her enough to know that you're just like her." He offered a reassuring smile, but it was strained. "Your parents would be so proud of you if they saw you now. My name is Hodge by the way. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

I nodded stiffly, despite the fact that Hodge couldn't be more wrong about my parents. My parents wouldn't be proud if they say me now, and I didn't doubt that they could. _Tears are a sign of surrender,_ my father's voice rang in my ears as I blinked mine away. _Morgensterns don't surrender._

Hodge cleared his throat, no doubt feeling awkward with the situation. _It's a fact,_ my mother's voice echoed, bringing with it another memory. _Boys can't stand it when girls cry. It just proves how much stronger us women are._ _Well, she wasn't wrong,_ I said to myself. The thought almost made me smile.

"Clary, I spoke with your brother earlier while you were with Isabelle," he said. "He told me that you would grieve more than he would, because you were closer to your parents. If there's anything I could do to ease your burden, all you have to do is say the word."

"Got it," I said, proud of how stable my voice sounded.

"Right," another voice rang from the doorway. "On that depressing note, it's time for lunch." I looked over Hodge's shoulder where Jace's head poked around the corner mischievously. He looked at me and winked, before his face split into a grin. I hoped I didn't blush. Hodge turned around, starting for the door.

"Excellent, I'm famished. What are we eating?" he asked casually to strike conversation.

"Isabelle cooked pasta," Jace said. At that, Hodge froze midstep. "Oh. Well actually…" he started.

Jace's grin widened. "But she threw it out. Alec bought food from Taki's."

Hodge, looking relieved, continued walking. "Well I do love Taki's," he said, before disappearing through the corridor. I glanced at Jace hesitantly, who looked at me and shrugged casually.

"Who can blame the guy?" he said. "One true love–"

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" I interrupted. He looked at me amusingly.

"Talking about me were you?" he said. I glared at him. "No, I wasn't eavesdropping on you. What makes you think I did?"

"What you said when you came in. It implied that you knew what we were talking about. That's all," I said. He raised his eyebrow. _You've got to be kidding me!_ I thought.

"Well I figured he was giving you his typical 'If there is anything I can do for you, just say the word' speech. Thought i'd take a lucky guess," he said. "Now about lunch, are you ready to find your one true love?"

I opened my mouth, ready to question him on how he knew about Hodge's 'speech,' but I remembered what Alec told me about Jace moving to New York after his stepfather died.

"Maybe later," I said instead.

* * *

" _Come on Clary! The enemy isn't going to go this easy on you!" my father said, barely breaking a sweat as he caught me by the leg and threw me up, sending me spinning through the air. I twisted, landing lightly into a crouching position, panting heavily. I wiped the moisture on my forehead before launching myself back at him, my fist slamming into his face. His head whipped back with the impact, the momentum setting him off balance and sending him crashing to his knees, his hand flying up to cup his cheek. He looked at me and grinned. "Now you've got it."_

 _I smiled proudly, offering my hand to help him up. He took it, pulling himself up. He did more than that though. He tugged on my arm, yanking me down onto the hard gym mats, throwing himself onto me, wrapping his bulky arm around my throat._

" _Never assist your enemy Clary. In a real fight, it's a matter of survival, and your opponent isn't going to play fair, so don't do it either. If you remember nothing else of today, remember this." He tensed his arm, squeezing my neck, not enough to snap it as he could easily have done, but enough to cut off my breathing. "Now how would you get out of this?" I stopped struggling, straining my head to rest it on his bicep, before biting down hard enough to taste blood. With a surprised cry, my father released his grip on me, and I scrambled to my feet. He was clutching his bleeding arm, looking at me incredulously._

" _What was that for?" he asked._

" _Well father," I said matter of factly, "You said that a real fight was a matter of survival. I just did what I had to do to survive."_

 _My father shook his head and chuckled. "Teenagers," he muttered under his breath. "You don't happen to have your stele with you, do you? You've got a killer bite, little scorpion."_

 _I smiled at him sweetly. "I do, but you also told me not to play fair."_

 _My father grinned at me. "Good girl," he said. He walked towards the bench behind me to grab his water bottle, but not before pausing to kiss me on the cheek. "Love you," he said, before heading out the door._

* * *

"By the angel Clary! What did the punching bag ever do to you?" My brother's voice echoed off the walls of the training room. I paused my reps, placing my palms on my knees, panting, before turning around to face him.

"It was irritating me," I said. "Now, are you here to train? Or did you come to mock the punching bag?"

Jon grinned at that, removing his black hoodie and tossing it to the side. "You're going to regret ever saying that."

I scoffed. "Bring it on," I said, egging him on as he stood a few paces away from me, squaring his fists.

"Alright then dear sister. Easy or hard?" he asked. I decked him hard in the face as a response. He flung his head back to avoid the blow, looking back at me. "Easy then."

He shifted slightly, so fast that I almost didn't see his foot flying up to my side. I rolled away, acting on instinct. I brought my knee up to his stomach, catching him off guard, before throwing myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and swinging to the side, swaying him and sending him crashing to the ground. I twisted on top of him, pinning his arms and legs to the ground with my own. Jon grinned from under me.

"Don't look so smug," I told him. "You're the one who's stuck."

Jon's smile widened at that. "You do realise that you weigh nothing, right?" he said, before jerking his torso upwards, sending my flying off him. I landed hard on the mat, before rolling away, narrowly avoiding Jon's tackle. I scrambled to my feet, glaring at him playfully, before lunging at him.

The next few minutes were a blur of flying fists and kicks. Our movements blended together, almost like we could react to each other's attacks before it happened. As I dodged another of my brother's punches, I couldn't help but think about how our lives had changed over the past few days. But as our lives crumbled down around us, this felt normal. I still had family. I hadn't noticed that Jon had slowed his movement, looking curiously. Absentmindedly, I stepped back, squaring myself into a defensive position.

"You just zoned out. What are you thinking about?" he asked me.

I looked at him, snapping out of my thoughts. "Nothing," I said.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Clary–"

"I don't have to tell you," I snapped. I didn't really mind Jon knowing what I was thinking, but his pushiness made me stubborn. "I don't have to tell you anything."

Jon's jaw set. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why Maryse said they didn't send your bag over from Idris," he said. "You didn't pack one," he stated. "And I bet you're not planning to go back either."

I sighed in defeat. "Jon–" I reasoned, my voice softening. He looked at me, his expression full of hurt.

"I'm your brother, Clary. Your brother. Why couldn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I… I didn't think you'd understand," I said, looking down.

He stared at me for a while, disbelievingly, before wiping his face of emotion, marching behind me towards the door.

"Jon–" I called out. He didn't turn around.

"You're right," he said, before disappearing. "I don't understand."

* * *

 **Okay, so that's the chapter for this week. I also just realised that Wednesday is an awkward day to update. I'm changing it to Sunday. So yeaaaah... We had some sibling love, some clace, some convo with Alec and Hodge... I reckon it's an alright chapter. Please leave a review on what you think. See you on Sunday!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **~Hannapple3**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Hello again awesome people. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY FIVE DAYS LATE! 3 3 3 WOOOOOOOOO! (unless you're sad and single like me, in which case, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!) Yeah okay, sorry I completely forgot to mention it last update because I have a non existent memory. So... yeah, hi guys. Here is your Sunday update, with your favourite characters (okay i'm mad now, the word 'favourite' keeps auto-correcting to 'favorite' and I'm Aussie and it bothers me okay i'm ranting sorry...) Alright, i'm going to leave now, because obviously I need to ponder over my life choices. Enjoy!**

 **I don't own any of the characters, all rights go to Cassandra Clare**

 **Okay, on with the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

"In my opinion, it's understandable why he was mad. Wouldn't you be mad if he kept a secret from you?"

I sighed, rubbing my palms against my face. "But it wasn't a secret. It was a decision I made, and it had nothing to do with him."

Isabelle was silent for a moment. I glanced over at her questioningly. "Okay," she said finally. "Let's take a break."

"Thank God," I moaned in relief, setting down several shopping bags which I was carrying, rubbing my wrists where the handles imprinted a red mark in my skin.

When Maryse found out that I hadn't brought belongings with me, she sentenced me to the torture of shopping with Isabelle. Isabelle was what I would call an extreme case of 'oniomania.' "You're exaggerating," she told me, when I mentioned it to her. Okay, so maybe I was, but that wasn't the point.

"I don't get it," Isabelle said as we took a seat at a cafe table nearby. "Your dad was supposedly one of the best shadowhunters to live. I would have thought his daughter had a slightly higher stamina and strength endurance than that."

I glared at her playfully. "Shut up," I scoffed.

Isabelle grinned. "You're being a baby. It wasn't that bad. I do this all the time," she said.

I stared at her incredulously. "That's not okay!" I cried. "It's mental torture and it's sadistic."

"Jeez Clary, calm down." Isabelle set her shopping bags onto the table, fishing her phone out of her pocket when it rang. She looked down at it, typed a quick message, then slipped it back. "Alec says we have to go back to the institute now," she said. "What a shame. I heard they added an east wing to the shopping centre. I wanted to check it out."

There wasn't a time in my life when I loved anyone as much as I loved Alec at the moment. Trying not to sound too relieved, I asked, "What's up? Did something happen?"

"Well, on the bright side, I get to dress you up in all your new clothes," she said.

I stared at her. "Sorry, what?"

"We're going to Pandemonium, Clary. We're going demon hunting."

* * *

"No," I stated. "No, no, and no. No way am I wearing that."

"Aww c'mon Clary!" Isabelle begged, holding up a black dress. "You should be happy you have such a narrow frame. Do you think I could pull this off?"

I backed away from her, glaring.

"You're putting on the dress," she said, tossing the garment my way. "No negotiations."

I snatched it out of the air, unfolding it to take a closer look, before throwing it back to her. "I'm not wearing that. It's a shirt!"

"It's a _dress,_ Clary–"

"IT'S A SHIRT!"

"ALRIGHT! HERE'S THE DEAL!" Isabelle shouted over my rising voice. "You wear that dress, and i'll give you a pair of stockings."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Argh, fine.

"Good," she said, shoving me into the bathroom. "And hurry up. I still have to do your hair and makeup." She shut the door behind me.

I leaned my head against the wall. _Dear God, help me,_ I thought, before slipping the dress on, and stepping outside. Isabelle was sitting by the bed, waiting for me. She smiled when she saw me.

"See? What did I tell you? Pretty."

I glanced at the mirror on Isabelle's vanity, doing a double take. "Are you kidding?! It barely covers my butt!"

Isabelle face palmed. "You're impossible, Clary. Do you _want_ to trip over a long dress while fighting demons?" She didn't wait for my response. "I didn't think so."

I rolled my eyes at her, getting agitated. "Whatever," I said, extending my hand to her. "Stockings. Give them to me."

Isabelle gave a small smirk, before dropping the bunched up materials into my palm. I knew from her look that she was up to trouble. I looked down at the clothing in my hand, before exploding once again.

"Isabelle Lightwood!" I screamed. "Get those fishnets out of my sight and get me some stockings! By the angel!"

"Oh, but these _are_ stockings, Clary dear. "They've got silver fragments in them. In case you run into any naughty werewolves."

I stared at her disbelievingly. "And how do you propose I fight them with this? Unravel the string and strangle them with it?" I dangled the small piece of clothing on my finger. "This is stupid, Isabelle."

"Stop being so difficult. Now put those on, then come out and see which boots you like."

 _What on Earth did I do to deserve this?_ I thought.

"You're being stupid," Isabelle told me. "They're just clothes. What are you complaining about?"

I gave her a look. "They're not 'just clothes!' I'm practically a prostitute!"

"Funny," another voice sounded from the open doorway. "I don't remember hiring a prostitute for tonight." Jace appeared a little further down the corridor. "Although," he added with a smirk, "If you have a shift tonight, I suppose I could spare you a tip." I gave him a look. He shrugged. "Alec sent me up to see if you two were ready. He and Jonathan are waiting downstairs for you."

"Whatever Jace," Isabelle said. "Help me out here. Tell Clary here that she doesn't look like a prostitute, will you?"

Jace grinned mischievously. "Izzy, you know I've never been one for lying," he said.

I groaned out loud, turning to glower at Isabelle. "That's it. I am going to wear my T shirt and jeans to the stupid club, and you can't do so much as lift a finger to stop me."

Jace turned serious. "You do know I was joking right?" he said. "You look fine."

"I'm not offended," I told him. "But it _is_ revealing, and I don't like it. I'm going to find a jacket to wear." I took a step forward, and heard Isabelle huff.

"At least wear the leather one we bought earlier," she said, sounding a bit exasperated.

I paused, before giving in, feeling a little bad for giving Isabelle so much fuss. "Alright."

* * *

Pandemonium was nothing like what I was expecting. Loud music blared from the speakers, making the floor vibrate under our feet, and flashing blue lights twirled around the room in mesmerising patterns. I had never seen so many downworlders in one place before. A beautiful faerie girl leaned against the alcohol bar, running a perfect fingernail down the arm of a warlock. The dance floor was full of vampires and werewolves, dancing together despite the fact that they shouldn't have gotten along. Platters full of drinks were being passed around by dazed mundanes, probably vampire subjugates. There were more mundanes sitting around tables, laughing with each other, unaware that they were surrounded by supernatural creatures. As the five of us walked in, I glanced at Jon. He looked right at home.

"New York definitely knows how to party," he said.

I sighed. "We're not here to party Jon," I told him.

He turned, startled by my voice, before glaring at me, pointing a finger. "You don't get to talk to me. I'm still angry."

I pursed my lips and looked away, into the staring eyes of Alec, Isabelle and Jace. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to convince them that I didn't care.

"So where's the demon?" I asked.

Isabelle held up her necklace for us to see. The dark red stone in the middle was pulsing with light. "We don't know exactly. We'll just have to keep an eye out. In the meantime, try to blend in a little." With that, she scampered off, disappearing into the crowd, Jon following her after a moment. Alec looked around awkwardly.

"I'm just gonna…" he jerked a thumb behind his back, hurrying away. I looked at Jace awkwardly. He smiled, offering me a hand.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked.

I hesitated slightly. "I don't really know how to dance," I told him.

"Well, we're in a club. Club dancing normally just involves jumping up and down." He took my hand and pulled me towards the disco. As we squeezed past everyone, standing in the middle of the dance floor, I stood there awkwardly. Standing opposite me, Jace laughed.

"You're right," he said. "You really don't know how to dance."

I huffed out a breath, placing my hands on my hips. "I told you so!" I cried indignantly.

Jace clucked at me, removing my hands from my waist and replacing it with this. "None of that now," he said. "You can do anything if I'm leading." He pulled me closer, swaying to the blaring music. I looked around to the passing faerie couple, twirling around us. The girl's hands, were around her partner's neck, giggling into his shoulder. I reached up, touching my fingers together behind Jace's head in attempts to imitate her. Jace's chest rumbled with laughter.

"There you go. You're not as bad as I thought," he said. We continued moving to the music, for a while, before he spoke again.

"So, Clarissa. What do like?" he asked me.

I looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you like to do? During your spare time or something," he said.

I considered his question for a moment. "Drawing," I told him. "My mother taught me how to draw when I was two." I sighed wistfully. "She was amazing at it, you know. She could paint the ugliest thing in the world and make it look so beautiful."

"And what about you?" he asked. "How are your drawings?"

"Alright, I think," I said, slightly embarrassed for rambling. "I mean, I guess it's a bit hard to be the judge of your own artwork.

"Hmm, you're right," he said. "Is there anything else you like?"

"Books. My mother taught me to read too."

Jace smiled sadly at me. "You seem to be an awful lot like your mother," he said. "Was she beautiful too?"

I blushed at his hidden compliment. I opened my mouth to respond, but froze. Something caught my eye from behind Jace. As I stared, Jace turned around, frowning.

"What is it?" he murmured, I held a finger to my lips, before pointing to the boy standing by the bar, watching a mundane girl a few tables away. His yellow eyes flared with light, and when he grinned, his teeth were sharp and deadly, almost like a vampire. _Demon._

I looked back at Jace, who had also spotted it. "So what's the plan?" I asked him. "Should we find the others?"

"No," he said. "He's got his eye on that mundane over there. If we try to find the others, it might be too late." He gave me a sideways glance. "I think you've got this."

"Got what?" I said. "Aren't you going to help fight him too?" I asked.

"I will, but you'll have to lead him into a secluded area first. I'll be hot on your heels, don't worry."

"Alright," I said. "So do I… try to seduce him or something?"

He grinned at me. "Something like that. And lucky me, I get to watch." He reached behind me, removing my seraph blades from my back sheath, slipping it into his. "I'll hold onto these for you in case the demon's powerful enough to see through the glamours. I'll leave the one in your boot, so you're not completely defenceless if the demon decides to be naughty." He patted my head annoyingly. "Good luck, little girl" he said, before slipping away, finding a seat at the nearby bar, ordering a drink and using his cup to gesture to the demon with an amused expression.

 _Here goes nothing,_ I thought. Weaving through the crowd, I made my way towards the demon, who was still sitting on the table. He looked up suspiciously as I approached him, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Are you saving this seat for your girlfriend?" I asked him, gesturing to the seat opposite him. His suspicious gaze turned predatory as he shook his head.

"No girlfriend," he said in a low, hoarse voice. "Lucky for you I suppose." As I sat down, he lifted his hand to touch my cheek. As I looked closer, I saw that his fingers were elongated into talons. Pretending not to notice, I giggled into my hand, leaning closer to him.

"Lucky me," I whispered into his ear.

He gave a low chuckle, placing his chin onto his palms, his elbows resting on the table. His muscles flexed as he shifted forward. "What's a pretty little girl like you doing at a nightclub like this?" he asked.

I shrugged, sending a glance his way. "Looking for a good time," I told him.

He laughed loudly at that. "Aren't we all?" he said, grabbing my hand. "What do you say we get out of here, and you let me show you a good time?"

I smiled at that. I didn't even have to ask. "Perfect." He got up, looking at me in triumph. I stood up with him. As he led me away hurriedly from the party, down a corridor, darkening with every step, I caught a flash of gold movement from behind me. _Perfect indeed._ The demon ushered me into a room, closing the door behind me, then whirling around, his teeth bared.

"Naughty little girl," the demon scolded me, grabbing at my shoulders and pushing me against the wall. "Daddy never told you not to talk to strangers?" He caught hold of the collar of my jacket, sliding it down my shoulders. I smiled, letting him. As he uncovered my rune covered arms, he hissed, backing away.

"Shadowhunter," he spit at me.

I slipped my hand into my boot, retrieving my seraph blade. "Zuriel," I whispered to it. The blade lit up a mysterious blue. As it illuminated my arms, the demon looked closer at my runes, before gasping.

"Your runes," he said. "They're not of the nephilim, are they? You're one of the Morgensterns. Valentine's daughter."

I raised my blade towards my face in a defensive position as I approached him. "Who told you?" I asked.

He backed away from me. "I will not fight you," he said, dodging my blade as I swung it his way experimentally. "My master forbids it."

I frowned at that, lowering my weapon. "Who's your master?" I demanded. When he didn't answer, I marched up to him, backing him against the wall and jamming my blade against his neck. "Tell me now, demon, or I'll kill you."

At that moment, Jace decided to burst into the room, followed by Alec. As Jace drew his blade, Alec nocked an arrow, letting it whizz past me, straight into the demon's throat.

"No!" I screamed, holding my hands up, but it was too late to stop them. Jace pushed me aside and swung his blade, cutting the demon's head clean off his shoulders.

"Dammit you guys!" I scolded. "I was talking to him."

They stared at me incredulously. "You were… talking to the demon?" Alec asked.

"Yes," I told him. "And now he's dead, and I'll never know who sent him here." I sighed, slipping my blade back into my boot. "Dammit!"

"I don't get it," Jace said, wiping the black blood that had splattered onto his face. "Why do you care who sent the demon here? Demons come here all the time."

"Because," I told him, "The demon's master told him to spare my life, and I wanted to know why."

* * *

 **Okay, so was it good or bad? I would say it's pretty good, but as Clary said, it's kinda hard to be the judge of your own work, which is why I would very much appreciate a friendly review or two (or fifty). Also, I know I've said this a lot, but the ships with Jon, Isabelle and Simon are still open for preferences. Let me know who you think should end up with Isabelle, and I will try my best to play fairy godmother (or faerie godmother... XD) Alright, please let me know what you think, and i'll get another update up by next Sunday.**

 **Happy reading!  
** **~Hannapple3**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **Hello again! So here I am with another update! WOOOOOOOO! (You have to admit I'm getting good with this weekly update thing...) I am very sorry to say that absolutely nothing has been happening in my very sad lonely life, apart from the fact that I JUST FINISHED READING TALES OF THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY AND I AM FANGIRLING SO MUCH OKAY SO I'M NOT GOING TO SPOIL ANYTHING COZ LIKE SOME OF YOU GUYS MIGHT NOT HAVE READ IT BUT IT HAS SOME SERIOUS SIZZY AND MALEC AND YOU HAVE TO READ IT PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK! Ahem anyways... so this chapter's pretty intense... so get ready...**

 **I don't own any of the characters, all rights go to Cassandra Clare**

 **Okay, on with the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

I lay on my stomach, my feet tangled in my blankets after my attempts to kick them away. I shut my eyes lightly, trying to relax my mind from the flow of thoughts that ran through my brain like water. I clutched a witchlight in my hand, its light painting the back of my eyelids pink. A pencil was in the other. I caught a glimpse of what I saw earlier, burning the back of my head. The rune was similar to the one of the Gray Book for sight, but the two middle lines extended outwards, growing out like a weed. I lifted my pencil to my sketchbook in front of me, drawing blindly, my eyes still shut. My pencil glided across the paper effortlessly like an extension of my hand. I lifted the tip of lead off my drawing, opening my eyes to examine my creation.

"What's that one called?" my brother's voice from behind me made me jump. I hadn't noticed him come into my room, or the shadow his body had cast over me as he leaned forward.

"Divulgence," I said after a moment. I took a long look at the rune, before closing my sketchbook. I tossed it onto the floor, the pencil following after. "What is it Jonathan?" I asked, sitting up from my position. "Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to let you know that the Clave has given us permission for Luke to come tomorrow. He'll be here in the morning," he said to me. I let out a breath loudly through my mouth. I'd forgotten about Luke and his pack in New York, about the Morgenstern ring he'd given me. I slid it off my finger slowly, holding it up to my brother. It gleamed in the witchlight, the stars black against the silver.

"Luke gave this to me," I told him. "I got it from the warlock that opened the portal in New York. But it's not really mine. I tossed it to Jonathan, who caught it swiftly in his palm. He looked down at it, not breaking his eye contact with me.

"Luke gave it to you because you needed it more than me," he said, taking my hand in his and sliding the ring back onto my finger. "And he was right, wasn't he?"

I didn't answer his question, although I knew he was right. "How do you know?" I asked him. "Why he gave it to me, I mean."

Jon smiled sadly at me "Because I told him to," he said. "It would have been more painful if the gift came from me. I thought it would be better if it came from him." He looked away suddenly, his face filling with guilt. I looked at him, narrowing my eyes.

"Why did you come here Jonathan?" I asked him again. "The real reason you came. Tell me the truth."

He looked my way, his face wiped of emotion. "You mean tell you the truth like you did today?" he asked, his voice blank.

"I'm not a liar Jon," I said softly. "I didn't lie to you."

His face softened, and he let out a small sigh. "I know you didn't Clare, so neither will I." My heart squeezed painfully at his words. The last time he had called me Clare was four years ago, even before I got my first marks. With the name came fond memories. Memories now tainted with grief. I swallowed them back hastily.

"What is it then?" I whispered.

"I came to understand," he said. "I wasn't lying when I told you I didn't understand earlier on, but I'm sorry for making you think I didn't want to." He looked at me, his light green eyes shone in the dark. "You're my only sister, and if I can't convince you to come home with me to Idris, I at least want to understand your choice to stay."

I looked at him. His expression was full of love and kindness. I had seen Jonathan fighting demons, killing them with his skilled warrior hands. Next to my father, he was the best soldier I'd imagine was possible, but I was one of the few people that he would reveal his other side to. The gentle, loving side of him. My brother. I put my arms around him.

"I love you Jon," I whispered into his neck. I felt him smile against my cheek as he pressed his lips against it.

"Love you too, little sister," he said. "Now tell me. You can tell me anything." He let go of me, and I leaned back against the bedpost.

"Jonathan, ever since we were children, you've always told me I was strong–"

"But you are," Jon frowned as he interrupted me. "You are strong. You've always been strong, and you're still strong."

I shook my head sadly. "I'm not," I said. "And I don't think you believe it either."

"That's not true," he stated. "It's not. I do believe that."

I slid the Morgenstern ring from my finger again, and held it in my palm. Jon looked away from me to stare at it. "If you really thought I was strong, then why did you give me the ring?" I asked. He stayed silent. I continued. "I can't go back, Jon, because I'm not strong. I'm weak, and weak people run, and they hide." I took a breath. "That's what I am, and so that's what I'm doing. I'm running, and I'm hiding. Feel free to feel disgusted. After all, I'm choosing weakness over family."

Jon looked up from my hand, his eyes full of heartbreaking sadness. "Clary, I'm not disgusted with you. I'll never ever be disgusted with you, but you can't think of yourself like that, like you're weak."

"Jon, it's–"

"Do you remember that time we were sent on routine patrol along the border of Alicante?" he asked. "When that demon got mum in the leg, and she couldn't get up? Father and I continued to fight. We thought that if we killed enough, they would leave her alone. But you," he chuckled, his eyes growing distant as if he was remembering something pleasant. "My brave little sister. You chose guarded her with your own body. You chose family over your own life, and if that isn't strength, then nothing is."

He touched my face tenderly, his calloused fingers brushing softly over my skin. "Clary, I didn't give you my ring because I thought you were weaker than me. I gave you my ring because I know for a fact that no one loves like you do. When I first realised that, I thought it was because of the blood in your veins, and that might partially be the reason, but that can't be all, because I have the same blood you do, and I don't have the same trusting heart. When mum and dad died, I felt loss, but I couldn't help but think that the loss you felt would have been one hundred times as bad, because a person grieves as much as they loves."

I stared at him, my eyes shining with unshed tears. Just like my father, he always knew the right thing to say during times like this.

"Thank you," I said to him, truly meaning it.

Jon shook his head. "No Clary. I don't want you to thank me, I want you to say it. Tell me that you are strong."

"I'm strong," I stated. And I believed it.

* * *

After breakfast the next day, I headed to the library to clear my head. When we lived in Idris, I was able to lose myself in books, travelling out of this world to one with kings and queens, of castles and riches and of streets overflowing with milk and honey. My brother would often find me reading my books back home, claiming that I hadn't moved from that spot for hours and hours, so when a hand was placed onto my shoulder to draw my attention back to Earth, I had expected it to be Jon, not Jace.

"Book worm I see," he teased. I closed the book I was reading, placing it back onto the shelf.

"Is he here?" I asked him, referring to Luke, who was supposed to arrive at the institute about now.

He nodded. "He just arrived. Isabelle told me to let you know when he was here. She went out with Alec to buy lunch. Are you going to head down to see your werewolf friend?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. He started heading towards the door. As he opened the door, he turned around, noticing that I was hanging back a bit.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

"Yeah," I took a breath. "Just give me a minute."

He gave me a concerned look, walking back over to me as I slid down to sit on the carpeted floor, my back leaning against a bookshelf. "Are you okay?" he asked me.

"No!" I said a little too quickly. "I mean yes! I mean… I mean yes." I sighed. "I don't know. Lately, I haven't been as good with dealing with my past as I would have liked to, you know, after…" I trailed off.

Jace nodded, coming over and taking a seat next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked me.

I looked at him incredulously. "I didn't take you as one who'd bother listening to girls spilling their life stories," I said.

Jace laughed, a choking sort of laugh, as if I had caught him off guard. "Now _that's_ a different story. Of course I wouldn't bother listening to girls talking about how untalented they are, or how ugly their clothes are, expecting me to console them or something. But this," he paused. "I know this isn't it, and if you want me to listen, I will, even if it's not right now."

I smiled at him. "You know," I said. "For someone who's built up such a sarcastic, arrogant character, you're pretty understanding when you want to be."

"Please," Jace scoffed. "Of course I'm understanding. How else do you think I get ladies swooning? Apart from my obvious good looks of course."

"I deny anything I just said," I told him, starting to stand. "Alright. I want to go see Luke now."

Jace stood to his feet with me, and we headed towards the door together, walking side by side.

"So," he started as he held the door open for him. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" I asked.

"You know, having a werewolf as your uncle. What's it like?"

"Luke's my godfather, not my uncle. And it's not actually that weird. I knew Luke before he was changed. He was a shadowhunter living in Idris. He was my father's parabatai."

"Oh," he said. "When he changed, was he… different?"

"You mean apart from the fact that he turned into a wolf every full moon?" I joked, earning a cheeky grin from Jace. "No," I said more seriously. "He was the same person he always was, and so we treated him as such. My father said that when Luke changed, his parabatai rune bled out and faded, but he still thought of Luke as his parabatai, because he made an oath until their deaths, and as long as they were both alive, they would fight together until the end. That's what real love is." I looked over at Jace, who had seemingly zoned out. I remembering what he said about listening to girls chatter, and immediately felt embarrassed. "Sorry. I'm rambling–"

"No, no," Jace cut my off. "I was just thinking. It is a beautiful thought after all." He looked at me. "I reckon the world could have learnt a thing or two from your father."

I blushed, opening my mouth to respond, when I heard a voice upstairs. I bolted up the flights of stairs, leaving Jace behind, my short legs taking three steps at a time. His voice was so achingly familiar, making my heart squeeze painfully.

"I never thought I'd ever see the inside of an institute again," Luke said to Maryse, who was next to him, just before I ploughed into him, jumping into his arms. I heard a whoosh of breath leave his lungs at the impact as he wrapped his arms around me, catching me out of the air. I hugged him tighter, tears leaving my eyes. Being in the arms of someone so familiar shattered any control I had over my emotions, and I slid to the floor, sobs bursting out of my mouth, my body jerking with small hiccups.

"Clary," Luke whispered into my hair. "Oh my dear Clary."

At the back of my mind, I noticed Maryse pat Luke's shoulder and disappear into another room, giving us some privacy.

"Luke!" I cried into his fraying brown coat. "I don't know what to do anymore. What do I do now?"

"Clary," I heard my name being called from behind. Voices belonging to Jace and Jonathan, blending together into one voice at first, then fading off altogether into background noise I could hardly hear. The only thing I was aware of was Luke's breath in my hair, his arms around me shaking slightly from grief. He pulled away from me, smiling sadly. "You'll be just fine Clary. I'll promise you that." He touched my hair with a fatherly touch. "If only Valentine could see his beautiful daughter now."

I stayed silent, falling back, my hands hugging my knees. I stared at nothing, memories and thoughts rushing into my head all at once. As I zoned out, I noticed Jon come up behind me, reaching down to hug Luke. "I'm so sorry," Luke told Jonathan, who nodded, a tear sliding down his face. _Jon never cried_ , I thought sadly.

"Tears are a sign of surrender," my brother said bitterly, his sadness transforming into anger as he recalled our father's words. "Morgensterns don't surrender to the enemy." He shook his head. "I am glad father can't see us now."

Luke's head snapped up at his words. "Jonathan Morgenstern," Luke said firmly, but not unloving. "Don't say that. Your sister doesn't need to hear it, and neither do you.

"What do you know Luke?" Jon shouted back, acting hysterical. "What do you know about loss? What do you know about losing your parents? About being driven out of your own home with _nothing?_ "

Luke's eyes flashed with a painful hurt, then darkened with a reciprocating anger of his own. "Don't you think for a second that you're facing anything I haven't," Luke spat between clenched teeth. His face was turning red with anger. Luke, who was never angry at anyone, even when they were at their worst. "My own parents were murdered when I was ten. When I was changed, my own _sister_ kicked me out of my home. And don't you dare think that I don't miss my parabatai, that I don't think about Jocelyn everyday when I wake up." Luke took a step back from Jonathan, his voice hushing into a whisper, and yet his words held all his emotions when he spoke. "I came here to help you with your pain, because I understand what you're going through. But don't you make–"

"Stop it," I said quietly, squeezing my hands over my ears, rocking myself back and forth on the hard floor shutting my eyes tightly. I couldn't hear Jon and Luke arguing anymore. I welcomed the silence, but it didn't last long, as the thunder of my heart started to get louder, filling my ears with deafening noise. I felt a white hot anger build up inside of me, first dull, then brighter. Gasping, I snapped my eyes open, my senses going into overdrive. "Shut up!" I screamed. "SHUT UP!"

"Clary."

Someone dropped down next to me, pulling my hands from my ears. A mop of blond hair fell into my face as the person leaned down. Jace pulled me into his lap, cradling me comfortingly. His amber eyes were the brightest things I've ever seen, as they stared into mine.

"Clary," he whispered into my ear. "Clary, breathe. It's just a panic attack. Just breathe. Listen to my voice. Can you do that for me? Clary... Clary... Clary..."

 _Clary... Clary..._ Jace's voice melded into another, a voice that echoed off the walls, deep and booming and evil. I had heard that voice before. _Clary..._

"I can't!" I screamed. "I can't!"

 _Clary..._

And at that, a blinding light ignited from my curled hands where they were curled inside Jace's, before bursting from my body, filling the room with a glow as white and as deadly as fire. Jace gasped, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, before he fell back, hitting the floor with a loud thump. Luke and Jon recoiled from me as if a force had knocked them back. Jon, who was slightly closer to me, was knocked off his feet. Around me, chairs toppled and glass cabinets shattered as the light continued to emit from my crouched body, forcing its heavenly power through my veins. Briefly, I heard shouts and screams, then footsteps rushing towards me.

Then there was nothing.

* * *

 **Told you it was intense... yeah so anyways, I know I've probably annoyed all of you with my question, but Sizzy or Jonabelle? This is probably your last chance for you to tell me which ship sails, before I make it concrete, so... vote away people! Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and I'll have another one up next week.**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **~Hannapple3**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **Hello again friends! Okay, so I have to admit, I rushed this chapter a lot, like _a lot_ to get it uploaded on time (You're most welcome!) Never in my life has writing FanFictions been so stressful, but I hope it all pays off! So, what's in this chapter? Jonabelle starts to pick up a teensy bit (for you wonderful people who picked that ship) but keep in mind that Jonabelle may _NOT_ be the fixed ship for Izzy. I have made up my mind which ship I will allow to sail, so stay tuned to find out which one it is! (Haha I sound like a host person on a TV show XD) Oh and by the way, thanks so much to those who voted for their ship.**

 **I don't own any of the characters. All rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

 **Okay, on with the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

I was in a state of conscious unconsciousness for what felt like forever. I felt a horrible pain at first, as if I was burning from the inside out, an inextinguishable fire starting from my heart, but I was unable to move, or make a sound. I could only endure. I heard distant voices around me a million miles away, sounding panicked. I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up off the cold floor, the unmistakable feeling of a racing heart pressed against my ear as the person held me tight against their chest as my feet left the floor and dangled in the air.

 _Clary… Clary…_

"What?" I called out groggily, yet I knew that I hadn't made a sound. "What do you want from me?"

The voice laughed loudly, deep and booming. _You are a fool to think that I would want anything from you, Clary,_ the voice said, _because you are already mine._

"What? I…" I struggled to process what the voice had told me. I could feel my thoughts draining away from me, as I started slipping into a deeper unconsciousness. "I don't understand."

 _Oh but you will,_ he said. _Not yet, but soon. Very soon._

And with that, my mind caught into a void, a strong force pulling me deeper and deeper down towards nothing.

* * *

"Clary."

I shot upright, trying to pinpoint the source of my name, my mind still fatigued. But unlike the evil, mocking voice I heard earlier, this voice was familiar, calming, and very much missed.

"Mother," I breathed, as I took in the form of my mother, kneeling in front of my bed through half closed eyes. "What are you doing here? You're… you're dead."

"Come on Clary, snap out of it," she snapped. Her red hair, a shade darker than mine, was tied up in a knot behind her head, like she always had it before she went to sleep. She was in her nightgown, her feet bare as they were when she was in too much of a hurry to slip on her house shoes. Her face was anxious, and her voice held a tone of urgency. "Clary, we have to go. We have to go now."

"What's happening?" I asked, untangling myself out of my sheets, jumping out of my bed. "Where are we?" I took in my surroundings, noticing that the walls were not the plastered walls of the institute, but the stone walls of an Idris manor.

"Home, Clary," my mother said, as she took my hand, slipping the hilt of a blade into my palm. "We're home, and now we're going to fight for it."

A loud bang could be heard from outside. My mother rushed to the door, throwing it open, and sprinted down the corridor. Light from outside flooded my room, like a doorway to heaven, and I stepped through.

* * *

"Oh Clary, thank god!" Isabelle cried as my eyes blinked open. "You're awake! I didn't know if you were going to ever wake up!"

I blinked again, my eyelids stiff and tired. "What… What happened? How long was I out for?"

"You were unconscious for two days," Isabelle said, her voice calmer than before. "And as for–"

"Two days?!" I cut her off. "I was asleep for two days?!" I was suddenly frantic. Where was Jonathan? And Jace? My heart sank. _Oh God, Jace…_ I thought, in horror, as I remembered what happened. The scene played back in my head. "Isabelle?" I asked slowly. "Where's Jace?"

"Jace is with the Silent Brothers," Isabelle said. "They're in his room."

Guilt swelled up in my throat. "Oh God," I choked out. "What did I do…"

"Jace is fine," Isabelle said. "Well… I don't know. The Silent Brothers said that something weird happened to him, when you had your little circus show. It happened to you too, you know. And your brother."

I frowned. I didn't feel any different, and I would have been able to sense if something happened to Jonathan. So how could we have changed? _Unless we didn't…_ I gasped quietly, realisation hitting me in the face. _Oh, what have I done?_

"They don't know what it is, but they're wary. They're keeping an eye on the three of you now. And now," Isabelle gave me a pointed look. "You are going to tell me what exactly went back there. All I know was that I came back from Taki's to find the entire front room destroyed, Jon lying on the floor with a broken foot, Jace passed out on the floor, your werewolf friend hacking up blood, and you–"

"Luke!" I exclaimed. I had forgotten about Luke. Hacking up blood? "What happened to Luke?" I asked frantically. "My brother was arguing with him, and then–"

"What? The werewolf? He's totally fine. He left for Idris with my parents yesterday. Some sort of super important Clave meeting or something. But Clary, you haven't told me what happened."

I swallowed. The thing was, I didn't really know what had happened. All I knew was that I had lost control about something I couldn't explain, and because of that, I injured my family and altered someone else. For the better or worse, I didn't know, but I had to find out. "Isabelle, I want to see Jace."

"Well you can't," Isabelle said, her arms crossed. "The Silent Brothers forbid you from leaving the room. Besides, you're not leaving until I get some answers."

"Well it's not up to you," I told her, hopping off the bed and walking out of the infirmary, my bare feet padding across the wooden floorboards. Isabelle shook her head, but did nothing to stop me.

"Turn left," she called out as I exited the room. "Third door on the right."

"Okay! Oomph!" I started as I turned the corner and ran into something, knocking myself flat onto the floor. I looked up, slightly embarrassed, to see Jonathan and Jace standing over me, their expressions calm and controlled, but slightly amused. They were so similar in the way their bodies were built, the way they moved, the way they acted, I couldn't help but compare the two. Behind them stood a Silent Brother, his scarred, runed face hidden under the shadows of the hood of his robe.

 _Clarissa Morgenstern,_ he said. _You were instructed not to exit the infirmary._

I shuddered at his voice, echoing through my head, similar to the one in my dream, but with no emotion. "I–"

"You can't have expected her to listen. She hardly ever does what she's told," my brother cut in as Jace knelt down and held a hand out to me. I took it, hoisting myself to my feet. "Only what she wants."

 _A dangerous mindset,_ he said, _for human minds are corrupt, and they want corruption._

"Except she's not really human anymore, is she?" Jace asked, looking at me sceptically. "Not after what happened. Us too.

"She's human in all the ways that count," my brother stated. "After all, it's up to us to choose what we are."

Jace shook his head. "You can't choose your blood," he said

 _But you can choose what you decide to be,_ the Silent Brother said. _As for Clarissa,_ He turned to me. I shivered, as I sensed him staring at me, thinking about what I had done, despite the fact that his eyelids were sewn shut. _You will rest for another day or two. Your panic attack exhausted all of your energy to the extent that you were beyond touch. Just yesterday, if someone were to place their hand on you, it would pass right through. We have done what we can to replenish your life force, but only time and rest will complete your healing._ And with that he left, his robe brushing the floor and his footsteps eerily silent.

"Well," I said, turning to Jonathan and Jace. "Personally, I don't want to be tortured by the Silent Brothers, so I'm going to head up to my room."

"I'll go with you. I wanted to talk to you about something anyway," he said. Jon narrowed his eyes, no doubt playing his part as the scary, overprotective brother.

"If Jace goes, I go." Jace looked at him weirdly. "What?" he asked defensively. "There's no way I'm leaving Clary alone with a guy in her room. For all I know, you could be some kind of creep."

Jace burst out laughing, just as Isabelle popped out of the infirmary door. She stopped, and immediately gave Jace a bored look, crossing her arms. "You think you're so funny, don't you?" she demanded, before regarding us all. "I hear we're having a party in Clary's room. I want in."

Jace gave her a look. "You were eavesdropping the whole time, weren't you? Because you're too weird to just drop by and contribute to the conversation like a normal person."

Isabelle shuddered. "There was no way I was going anywhere near that Silent Brother. They're so creepy. I can't imagine why anyone would want to mutilate themselves like that."

My brother laughed, looking Isabelle's way, his eyes full of humour… and something else. "Well," he said, "Since we're all going to Clary's room, should we invite your brother? Just so we don't have to explain anything twice."

"If he wants to, then sure," Isabelle said. "He's in the training room. We could go ask him." With that, she started walking down the corridor. I fell into step next to her, leaving my brother with Jace, bickering with each other like kids. I turned to Isabelle.

"So how often do you go to Pandemonium?" I asked her.

Isabelle considered for a minute. "Pretty often to be honest," she said. "It's a pretty popular place for demons to go."

"So when will we go back?" I asked her.

"When the demon alert goes off again." She paused. "Is this about that demon last time?"

"Well, if a demon knew you by name, claiming that they were ordered not to kill you, wouldn't that make you a little wary?" I asked, entering the training room, holding the door open or Isabelle.

"I guess so," she said. We walked in silence after that. "Or suspicious," Isabelle said after a while to no one in particular. I stared at her. "I'm joking Clary. I'm not _that_ stupid."

"Well…"

"Is it true?" Jace appeared between us, looking at me, his gold eyes expressionless. "About you and your brother already having this… this–"

"Angel blood," I finished for him. "It's angel blood. And yes, it's true."

"Oh," he said, lowering his head, walking in thought for a moment. "So it was only me that Clary cursed during that episode." He would meet my eyes.

"It's not a curse," I told him gently, trying not to agitate him more. "It's a gift. A gift from an angel."

"It gives us power, unlike any other shadowhunters," Jon added. "Strength and abilities that no one else has. It's anything but a curse."

"Power is not always a gift," Jace warned him, slowing his walk to a stop. "So are you saying that I'm a super shadowhunter now or something? Am I supposed to believe that?"

"Don't you?" I asked him.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, Jon glanced over at Alec, who was shooting arrows at targets scattered around the room, some low against the wall, some dangling from the ceiling. Faster than a normal eye could follow, Jon shot up, leaping into the air higher than any other shadowhunter could manage, just as Alec aimed upwards, letting his arrow fly. He twisted nimbly, catching the arrow out of the air and launched it straight at me. I heard Jace's quiet gasp and Isabelle's strangled sound as it approached. I shot my hand up, where my _marmoreus_ rune was inked into my skin, allowing it to become hard as marble. The arrow hit the palm of my hand, shattering on impact. All eyes were on me, including Alec's.

"Stop it Jon," I told him. "You're not helping at all."

Jon shrugged, looking remorseless. "He said he didn't believe me."

Jace, who broke out of his shock, marched up to me, taking my hand in his, flipping it over with surprising gentleness, so my palm was facing upwards. "This rune," he traced his fingers lightly over its swirling patterns. "It's not from the Gray Book, is it?"

I shook my head. "It's called _Marmoreus._ And no it's not. I made it."

"You can't have made," Isabelle gasped. "No one can make runes except angels."

"But that's what it is, isn't it?" Jace asked. "Angelic blood equals angelic power."

"Yes. And it also explains–"

"Pardon me," Alec had marched up to us, looking half dazed and half furious. "Can someone explain to me why Jonathan decided to fly and attempt to kill his sister, and why Clary just decided to murder my arrow?"

"Your arrow was flying towards my face!" I countered. "What else was I supposed to do? Stand there and die?"

Alec looked at me incredulously. "How _are_ you not dead?"

I scoffed. "Rude," I muttered, running my fingers through my hair, before thrusting my hand impatiently in front of Alec's face. "That's how. Look, I'll explain in my room, alright? But can we just go?"

"No," Alec said. "You're not going to your room. You're going to explain everything right here."

"Don't be ridiculous Alec," Jace said, as I crossed my arms looking defiant. I never liked doing what people forced me to do. "We'll look so stupid, screaming in the middle of the training room."

"As opposed to screaming in the middle of Clary's room?" Alec rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever, but I better get a good explanation for this," he said.

* * *

"Remarkable," Jace breathed as he sat on my bed, flicking through my sketchbook, examining all my new runes. His blond hair flopped into his eyes, hiding his face. Alec and Isabelle looked over his shoulder in awe, their eyes wide with disbelief. I sat on Jonathan's lap on the floor, picking at the carpet, while he ran his fingers through my hair, trying and failing to braid it. Alec looked up at me.

"You created these?" he asked. I nodded, to Jon's annoyance, as my hair slipped out of his fingers with the movement. Alec shifted his look behind me to my brother. "Can you do it too?" he asked.

"No," Jon shook his head. "I can't create runes. She's the only Morgenstern who ever could," he said. "No one knows why."

Isabelle looked up at us. "So this is a Morgenstern trait then? This deal with the angel blood?"

"Yeah, it was a gift to our ancestor, after he wrestled an angel for a blessing," I said. "It's in the bible. For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and–"

"And hast prevailed," Jace finished for me. "Ah yes, good old Jacob, who stole the birthrights from his eldest brother."

I grinned cheekily as I looked up at my brother, who glowered at me playfully. "Don't even think about it," he warned me. "You can't take my birthrights," he said.

I held up my hand for him to see, where the Morgenstern ring glinted on my finger. "Already did, my dear eldest brother," I said, smirking at him. He rolled his eyes at me, slapping my hand down, before continuing to tangle up my hair.

"So the angel blood allows Clary to create new runes, which you can't do," he said to Jon. "Could that be how she somehow managed to transfer her blood to me?"

Jon shrugged, giving up on my hair, setting it back down onto my shoulder. "Like I said, no one's knows what to make of Clary. She's a little freak," he said, yelping when I pinched his leg.

"Oh," Jace mused absentmindedly. "So if no one knows what happened, then I'm guessing that no one knows how to fix me either. Bummer."

"Oh shut up Jace, it's not so bad," Alec said. "Jon said that you'd be faster and stronger." He leaned back on my bed. "There are worse abilities to be stuck with." He yawned, stretching his body out on the bed, before rolling off, landing lightly on his feet. "I'm going back to train," he stated, before slumping out of the room.

"Well good talk, but now it's awkward," Isabelle said a few moments later, as she stood up. "If you need me, I'm in the weapons room."

Jon stood hastily to his feet, knocking me off his lap and leaving me sprawled on the floor. "I'll go with you," he said, running after her. I shook my head, picking myself off of the floor, looking at Jace.

"He's so smitten with her," I told him, throwing myself onto the bed next to him. He was still flicking through my drawings.

"Well that's too bad," he said, not looking up. "Isabelle's going to rip his heart out and stomp on it with her spiked boots."

"Not if he breaks her heart first," I said.

"In which case, I'll be the one stomping on him with fancy designed boots. No one gets to hurt my little sister," Jace said. I smiled at his protectiveness, which was so similar to Jon's. "These are pretty good by the way," he added, as he reached the section of my sketchbook which contained my drawings. He stared at the one I had drawn of our manor in Idris.

I grabbed the book hastily out of his hands. "Thanks," I said, looking down.

Jace chuckled, his gold eyes dancing with humour. "What? Do you have secret drawings of me that I shouldn't know about?"

I felt my face heat up. "Of course I don't! I just find it weird having someone go through my things, that's all."

"How disappointing," Jace said, his voice dripping with mock hurt. "I would have thought I made a bit more of an impression. Your heart, Clarissa, is like a rod of steel."

I scoffed. "All the better to poke you with," I said, not expecting Jace to get my reference. Jace laughed, a pleasant, gentle sound that I found quite musical, indicating that he did.

"It's a relief to know that I wasn't the only one who was interested in reading useless mundane fairy tales when I was young," he said.

"I doubt it's a useless mundane fairy tale. My father said that Little Red Riding Hood was a story about a rogue werewolf and a young vampire girl with a cape stained in blood," I told him.

"That sounds cheery," Jace said. "And I suppose the hunter was a Nephilim who came to save the day then."

I shook my head. "No. actually it was a sighted mundane. Little Red ate him afterwards," I said.

Jace blinked twice, staring at me, looking quite disturbed. "And here I was, thinking the story was about a wolf eating a poor old lady. I have to admit, you are the worst, literally the worst storyteller I've ever met. Do _not_ tell me anymore of your terrible stories."

"Not all stories have a happy ending," I said, no longer talking about the fairy tale.

"That may be true," Jace said. "But there's always hope, and sometimes, that is enough."

* * *

 **Soooo, I have to say, I really enjoyed writing about the part when Jon attacked Alec. I don't know why, but it was satisfying XD (yes people, I'm a cruel person who finds pleasure in pain :) haha jk jk) Anyways, so I just wanted to thank you guys for reading my story, and to all my wonderful reviewers. I don't think I've thanked y'all yet, so thank you so so much! Especially to the people who have supported me from the start.**

 **Happy reading!  
~Hannapple3**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N**

 **Hello again my good good friends! So I am back with another update XD YAYAYAYAY! Okay so I tried out a little poetry in this chapter (and I'm desperately hoping that it's somewhat better than Eric's poetry reading with nefarious loins and whatnot...) but yea... haters don't hate i'm not Shakespeare XD Also, I'm happy (and sad) to tell you that I'm going to America! I'm so excited, I shall be closer to all of you amazing Americans, and I'm hoping to develop an accent XD But that also means that I'm not gonna be able to update for three weeks or so... that's not next week, but the week after, hopefully I can get one more chapter out after this one... I'm sorry... but you guys can wait three weeks right? Do it for the TMI fandom!**

 **Oh and another thing, I decided that with this story, I was going to have a part two in this story (not like a sequel, like a second section to this story) which means that I had to make a part one (which is what you're reading now)... So I updated Chapter One (not the prologue, the actual chapter one) and I wrote a poem as the introduction. If you're interested, you can totally check it out. If you're not, then Part One is called: The Ghosts That We Love, just to let you know.**

 **And yes, I did just stay up until 11pm to finish this chapter for all you wonderful readers XD**

 **I don't own any of the characters, all rights go to Cassandra Clare**

 **Okay, on with the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

After Jonathan came back up to my room, chasing Jace away with a throwing dagger, and a string of unrepeatable phrases, I settled myself down on my stomach, leaning over to grab the book I had found in the library, which was sitting on top of my nightstand. I looked at the hard cover, smoothing my hand over it. Absentmindedly, I reached behind me, swiping my arm through the air gently, a force closing my door as if it was my hand.

"The Star of David," I muttered to myself, reading the gold letters. I opened the book, careful of the age withering paper.

 _One day in one by his strength_

 _god shalt reconcileth all creatures_

 _of this dividing earth._

 _Oh creatures of the world beholdeth his glory,_

 _did shed the pride of an ancient past._

 _lift thy heads up high and worship_

 _that soul who expelled breath and gaveth thee life._

 _behold to the east and followeth_

 _the star of david which guides_

 _us to the lodging we calleth Elysium_

 _The Star of David, shineth thy blessing and thy power_

 _conquer and batheth in thy victory_

 _Let it be known to man forever_

"Why am I once again, not surprised to find you reading?" I was starting to get used to Jon popping into my room whenever he wanted. I looked around to find the door wide open. I turned my gaze to Jonathan, looking at him through bored half open eyes.

"Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern," I groaned. "Barging into people's room without knocking is a bad habit, and it will get you into trouble someday."

Jon chuckled at me. "I've heard you say that before, little sister, and that day is still yet to come."

"Whatever. What do you want now?" I asked, closing the book, placing it back onto my nightstand.

"How could you?!" Jon gasped with mocking hurt, placing a hand dramatically over his forehead, flopping onto the bed, making me bounce. I yelped, startled. "I only ever wanted to be loved by my dear sister," he moaned into the pillow. "Oh cruel fate–"

I slapped the back of his head. "Oh shut up will you."

Jon popped back up, his ridiculous grin back on his face. "I'm bored."

"Too bad," I told him, reaching for my book. He slapped my outstretched hand away from my nightstand.

"I want to train, but I don't have a partner," he said.

"Argh," I sat up. "Why can't you ask Isabelle or something. Aren't you dying to spend more time with her?"

Jon blushed, surprising me. My brother was never affected by embarrassment. "Well, I asked, but she was busy. She told me to get… uh, she told me to go away." He looked at me, half smiling. "Besides, she doesn't have the skill that we have. Either it wouldn't be fair, or I would have to go easy on her, which is dull."

"What about Jace?" I suggested, feeling too lazy to get out of bed. "He's got the same powers now. You could at least show him how to use it. Besides," I gave him a knowing look. "You seemed pretty eager to spar with him earlier on."

Jon huffed. "He had it coming. He can't just talk to you alone like that."

"What?" I exclaimed, not expecting that answer from him. "Why not?"

"Because he's a boy. Isn't it obvious?"

I looked at him incredulously. "Alec is a boy. Am I not allowed to talk to him either?" I asked.

"But Alec doesn't look at you like Jace does."

"I–" I paused. I shook my head, confused. "What?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying. Now train with me," he insisted. I closed my eyes, exhaling irritably. _What a child._

"Fine."

* * *

"This is stupid," I stated, before stepping off the platform for the hundredth time, falling through the air, landing lightly on my feet as I reached the ground. I looked up at Jon, who hurdled himself off after me.

"I don't think we're doing it right," Jon said.

I shrugged, making my way back up to the platform. "Well how are you supposed to do it then?" I asked, approaching the edge. I was about to launch myself off, when a startled cry cut through the air, echoing off the concrete walls. I found myself backing away in shock. I looked down, where Alec stood by the doorway, halfway through fastening on his weapons belt.

"What in angel's name are you doing?" he asked incredulously.

"I… er… training?" I offered weakly.

"Well you can't just jump down! You're supposed to use the harness up there! And you use the wall to flip down. God Clary, were you trying to kill yourself?"

"Ohhhhh," I looked back at the wall, where there was a bundle of rope hanging from a hook. I had been wondering what it was for. "But wouldn't that be a waste of–" I was cut off as Jon clambered his way up the platform, running past me towards the edge. "No–" I reached my hand out to stop him, but he had barely noticed my grip.

"Wheeeeee!" He shouted as he leapt off, plummeting down. Alec watched him in horror as he hit the ground, trying and failing to land in a split position. "Owwwwwww!" he squealed a few octaves higher that normal, lying on the floor and massaging his thigh muscles. "Not flexible," he muttered, dismayed. "Not flexible. Oww."

I winced, jumping down after him, tucking into a ball, rolling to absorb the impact, before standing up and walking over to my brother, who was rolling around the floor like a weirdo. "You are a big idiot, I told my brother, who was still groaning in pain. "You tore another muscle, didn't you? I sighed, jogging over to the bench, where our steles lay. "You thick headed moron," I told him, tossing one his way.

"But you did it," my brother said sadly after drawing an iratze, his voice no longer laced with pain. "I saw you."

"You can't expect to be able to pull that off you can never be bothered stretching," I told him. "You should know that, stupid."

Alec, who I had forgotten was in the room, cleared his throat. "The point of that beam is to train yourself to get down using the rope and the wall. You're not supposed to… uh…"

"Jump?" my brother offered. "We were just saving time. Imagine if it was a real attack. By the time you secure a rope and tie yourself up safely, you'd be lucky to get off the building with an attached head."

"I– Well I suppose, but I don't really think we could jump that and… not break something."

Jon grinned cheekily. "Weaklings," he called out.

"Jon!" I scolded. "Don't be rude. You just tore your muscle, you can't say anything."

"It's alright," Alec said awkwardly, gesturing to the platform. "Feel free to continue jumping off that thing. I'll train later." He left the room in a hurry. I glared at Jon playfully.

"See? Now look what you did!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "Poor Alec."

"Poor Alec?" Jon laughed. "He was probably overwhelmed by my presence."

"No Jon, just no. Overwhelmingly repulsed, maybe."

Still squatting, I waddled my way up to Jonathan, grinning and sticking my tongue out teasingly. Shaking his head, he placed his hand on my face, shoving me back, making me lose my balance and sending me toppling to the floor with an indignant squawk.

"Rude!" I shouted, startling him. As he got onto his knees, about to stand, I jumped onto his back, knocking flat onto the floor, making the stele he was still holding fly out of his grip. I caught it out of the air, leaning over and giving him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Bleugh!" he cried. "You don't kiss your opponents Clary! That's not how it works!"

"Sure it is," I smiled sweetly. "It's an effective distraction."

Jon, who had just realised that I had used the stele to paralyse his arms and legs, groaned, rolling around on the floor. "Save me," he moaned like an idiot. "Save me."

I walked over to him, leaning down to add the rune of quietude to the swirls on his arms. He rolled onto his back and glared up at me, unable to make a sound. "Hush now, baby," I clucked, waving a finger in front of his pouting face. "Be a good boy now, or have you forgotten how hard it was to talk for a whole day with a paralysis rune on your tongue," I said, referring to a prank I had played on him when I was twelve.

He glared at me, his eyes narrowing into slits. _That's not a fair fight,_ he seemed to tell me. I smiled. "In a real fight, it's a matter of survival," I said, quoting my father during one of the very first lessons he had given us, "And your opponent isn't going to play fair."

* * *

I left the training room shortly after, leaving my brother in a silent, helpless heap on the floor. I walked through the institute, with no particular destination in mind, just looking for somewhere with peace. I stopped in front of the library, looking through the glass window, finding Hodge going through a shelf of books. I turned away, deciding not to bother him. I was halfway through deciding whether or not I should help my brother, when I heard music flow through the air, distant and sad.

As if I was in a trance, I walked further down the corridor to the room, twisting the knob to the door silently, closing it behind me, before turning around. Jace was sitting at the piano, his eyes closed as his fingers fluttered over the keys. I took in his posture, slouching slightly as he leaned over. I had never seen Jace with anything but perfect posture. His face was relaxed, his worry lines vanishing from his forehead. He almost looked younger.

"Alec?" he asked, not stopping his playing.

"No," I said. "Sorry, it's just me. Do you want me to call him over?"

He opened his eyes, pulling his fingers away from the keys. "Oh, Clary." He offered me a small smile. "No, no it's fine. What is it?"

"I…" I blushed, embarrassed. I didn't really have a reason for coming here. "Nothing, really." I jerked my chin towards the piano. "You play that very well," I said.

"Thanks," he said, not bothering with a egotistical remark, closing the lid over the keys. "You know, I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier. I don't really think you were right when you said that we don't have happy endings." He looked at me thoughtfully. "I think that what you were thinking when you said that, was that we don't always have happy beginnings."

"What do you mean?" I asked, coming away from the door.

"I don't really know," he said after a while. "I mean, we can't really help the past, but in a way, doesn't our future depend on us? Whether it's happy or not, isn't that something that we get to choose?"

"No, not always. Sometimes, the future's not up to us," I said, looking down. "Sometimes it's chosen for us, and it's not really something we can control."

"No, no," Jace said, frowning. "That's not what I meant. I mean you're right, sometimes we can't help our future, but we can choose to make the most of every day, you know? Find joy where it seems like there's none. And when you learn to think like that, you can live happily ever after, even when the worst happens." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I know it seems incredibly stupid and petty coming from me, but I had to learn that lesson too."

"How?" I asked. "How can you expect me to find joy when I've had everything taken from me?" I challenged. "You can't find joy out of nothing you know, and I have _nothing._ "

Jace moved over to one side of the piano seat, patting his hand on the vacant spot. Hesitantly, I edged forward to sit next to him. "When I was younger, my life was perfect. I was living in Idris, in the Herondale Manor. My parents loved me like a parent should. I had everything anyone could have ever asked for. My parents bought me a beautiful piano for my fourth birthday. I spent most of my time learning to play it. I had a pet falcon too."

He breathed, his gold eyes turning distant and sad. "One day when I was around seven, I was reading outside, the falcon on my shoulder. It cried out, launching itself towards someone who had been creeping up on me, ready to strike out. He moved so quietly, like a Silent Brother, I hadn't even heard him coming. My bird clawed at his eyes and shredded his skin, and gave me enough time to run away into the forest, before it was struck down and killed. I wandered around for days, half delirious, before I was found. They told me that my parents were murdered that day."

"No," I whispered. Jace looked at me, his face grave. I could imagine a young boy, his blond hair tangled with sticks, his face bloody and crusted with dirt, his gold eyes lifeless with fear and grief as he wandered around, imagining the worst. "No."

"Clary, I nearly drove myself mad after that. I was a coward to run. I was a traitor to the Herondale name, and I couldn't save them, not even my bird." He sighed. "I lived with my father's good friend after that. His name was Michael Wayland. I nearly convinced myself that I could be happy there, that I could build a life that I was happy with. But only a few years later, they came for me again, and he was murdered too, right in front of where I was hiding."

"Jace," I said quietly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you this because I want you to know that I understand. I know firsthand what you're going through, and that hope is not lost yet. I was miserable when I came to New York. I thought I had lost everything, but it took me a while longer to realise what I had gained." His gaze softened. "I was given a home, a family. I found my parabatai. A chance to play my music again. I was given a new life."

I stared at him. I had no idea he had lost so much, and yet he seemed so happy with his life. With his family. With his piano. "Jace?" I asked. "Will you play some more?"

He smiled, opening the lid, his fingers hovering over the keys, before he placed them back into his lap. "No," he said. "I want you to play for me."

"I don't play the piano," I told him.

"You can do anything if I'm leading," he said, quoting himself from the time he tried to get me to dance at Pandemonium.

For the next few moments, Jace tried to explain to me the basic notes on the piano, how to hold my hands, how to move my fingers, but I wasn't listening. As his voice faded into the background, I thought about what he told me earlier. _I thought I had lost everything, but it took me a while longer to realised what I had gained._ Maybe I hadn't lost everything. Maybe… maybe it _was_ possible to live again. To find happiness.

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN lol okay, so Jace reveals his past... clace builds up... Jon screams like a girl in front of Alec... his karma for attacking him earlier... Jace playing the piano like the little music prodigy he is... *sighs* pretty satisfying to me... Haha so tell me what you thought of this chapter, and... yea that's about it HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AND SORRY ONCE AGAIN I WILL TRY TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU GUYS EVEN THOUGH THE LAST THING I WANT TO GIVE YOU IS RUSHED WORK BECAUSE I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH FOR THAT**

 **Happy Reading**

 **~Hannapple3**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N**

 **Hello again guys! Sooooo, for those who didn't see me A/N last week, this will be my last update for three weeks because I'm going to America! WHOOOOO! So excited! But our schedule is pretty packed, and I doubt our camps will have any internet, so... rip... Anyways, so here's another chapter, and guess who gets introduced to the story (Actually, technically he was introduced earlier, but now he is back with a few pieces of wood and rope to start building his wonderful ship! Yay! Also, I'm just going to put it out there, my phone has the _worst_ I mean _worst_ autocorrect, and everytime I typed Maryse, it came up as Maryam, so if you see the name Maryam, it was so not my fault! Haha jk jk, but just don't get confused XD.**

 **I don't own any of the characters, all rights go to Cassandra Clare**

 **Okay, on with the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 _Were home Clary,_ the voice rang out in my head. _And now we're going to fight for it._

I woke up with a start, slamming a hand onto my forehead in shock, the back of my shirt wet with sweat patches, my heart racing three times as fast as usual. The dream had ended the same place as before, my mum running out of my bedroom to face whatever was going outside, me hurrying after her. _We're home Clary, and now we're going to fight for it._ My mother's words may not have been real, but it was a painful reminder that I wasn't home anymore. That this was not my home, and this was not my family.

I shrugged off my damp shirt, which had started sticking to my skin uncomfortably, and tossed it to the floor, too drained of energy to find another one I curled back into bed, shivering from the cold air hitting my sweaty skin. My hair stuck to the back of my neck in wet clumps. Sighing, I rolled out of bed to take a shower, passing my alarm clock which read 2:49 am. I didn't think I would be able to sleep after this anyway. I walked over to where my clothes were hung up neatly, grabbing a new pair of pyjamas, when I froze, my ears straining. There was a buzzing noise, coming from my pile of clothes. I crept up to where the sound was coming from, outstretching my hand to fish my sensor out of one of the pockets in my gear. I stared at the machine as it vibrated in my hand, picking up demon frequencies. I turned, suddenly feeling a presence, as though I was being watched.

"Come out," I said out loud, grabbing a seraph blade with the hand that wasn't holding the sensor. As I walked slowly towards my window, a shadow flashed by, so quick that I was sure I had imagined it. My heart quickened as I neared it, the sensor vibrating more vigorously. "I know you're there."

Then just as sudden as it started, it stopped. I frowned, considering whether or not I should look outside, but decided against it, knowing that there wouldn't be anything to find, that the presence had gone, or maybe it had never been there.

"I'm going insane," I told myself as I gathered my clothes off the floor where I dropped them earlier and headed for the bathroom. "Totally insane. AH!"

I jumped in shock as someone knocked on my door. "C-come in," I called out turning around to regain my composure. I wasn't normally so easily scared, but the incident with the sensor left me unnerved.

"Hey, are you awake?" Isabelle's head poked through the crack of the door. My face must have held some sort of shocked, fearful expression, because when she looked at me, she frowned. "Clary?" she asked. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I considered telling her what had just happened, but the more the scene replayed in my head, the crazier it seemed. After all, sensors only picked up demon frequencies, and no demon was able to pass the barrier over the institute. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little…" I trailed off.

"Is it nightmares?" Isabelle asked me, letting herself into the room and sitting down onto my bed. I was suddenly very aware that I was only in a sports bra and a pair of shorts, but if Isabelle thought this was odd, she didn't say anything. "I heard you scream not long ago. I wasn't sure if I had imagined it."

"Yeah," I said, remembering the dream I had earlier, trying to convince myself that must have been the reason I was so jumpy. "That must be it."

"Well I hope you're okay," she said. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing, looking for you at…" she glanced at my clock. "At 3 in the morning, but I… um..." I was just able to make out Isabelle's slight blush through the blue glow of the New York nighttime. I may not have known her for very long, but I knew that she wasn't one to blush. "I wanted to talk to you about Jonathan."

"Fire away," I said, getting up to find myself a shirt. Taking one off a hanger, I slipped it over my head. I sat back down next to Isabelle, who had started fidgeting with the tips of her long black braids, twisting and untwisting the elastic bands.

"Well, I just wanted to know… um well… if Jon's had any girlfriends before," she said awkwardly, looking down to her lap to avoid my gaze.

I looked at her questioningly, attempting to raise one eyebrow, giving up when I felt the other one twitch up. "When you say girlfriends–"

"Well, not just girlfriends, I suppose. You can include guys too," she added, a little too quick to sound casual.

I burst out laughing. "No, no, Jon's not gay. Or bisexual for that matter. He'd dress a lot better if he was," I added as an afterthought. "But he _has_ been… er… romantically involved before," I said. "There's been vampires, faeries, shadowhunters, nothing serious though." I looked at Isabelle sceptically, who looked up at my words. "Look, I know it's not for me to say, but Isabelle, if you're looking for a serious relationship, then I don't think–"

"No, no" Isabelle said quickly, looked relieved, which confused me. "I just wanted to know, that's all."

"Oh," I said, frowning. "Okay, well if you like my brother, you can tell me," I said slowly, not quite knowing what to make of the situation.

"Well I do," Isabelle said, sounding a lot more like herself. "Anyway, I'm so sorry for barging into your room so early." She stood up, dusting herself off. "Thanks Clary."

"Uh, no problem," I said, before she slipped out the door, closing it quietly. "Well that's that," I mumbled to myself, scooping up my discarded clothes and heading for the showers.

* * *

Later that morning, I found Luke, Maryse and Alec were sitting together, eating breakfast around the table. Despite what Isabelle told me about him coughing up blood recently, he seemed at his full health. He stood up as he saw me approaching him, holding his arms out as I ran to him.

"Luke," I breathed into his jacket.

"My God Clary," Luke said quietly. "You gave me the scare of me life the other day. Are you okay? The last I saw you, you were lying on an infirmary bed, pale as a ghost." He smiled crookedly. "Intangible like one too."

I untangled myself from his embrace. "Not all ghosts are intangible," I said. "But what about you? Isabelle told me about what I did to you."

"I'm fine Clary," Luke assured me. "It was just a little too much angelic energy for me. After all, werewolves did come from demons."

"I–" I looked slightly to the side, where I met Alec's eyes. He offered me a small smile, looking down. Next to him, Maryse was tapping an impatient finger on the table. "Oh, sorry." I moved to the side, taking a seat next to Alec. He leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Someone's been abducting warlocks," he said quietly. I looked at him curiously.

"What does anyone want with warlocks?" I asked.

"Who knows?"

I leaned back into the chair I was sitting in, balancing it on its back legs.

"Have you talked to the warlock representative?" Luke asked Maryse, who leaned forward and rested her hands on the table uneasily.

"Yes, Magnus is on his way," she said.

I looked at Alec. "Magnus Bane?" I asked. He shrugged, clueless. When I mentioned his name, Luke looked at me.

"You know Magnus Bane?" He asked me.

"Magnus sent Clary and her brother through the portal to New York," Maryse told Luke impatiently. "Now Lucian, what I don't understand is how the intruder got into the warlock's home."

"What do you mean by that?" Alec asked his mother. "Was there some sort of ward?"

"Warlocks put a protection spell over their home to keep the unwanted intruders out," Luke told Alec. "The thing is though, no one but a greater demon or a shadowhunter is able to break through a warlock's protective spells. But if a greater demon had been summoned into this dimension, and a shadowhunter…" he trailed off, looking nervously at Maryse, who stared back at him coolly.

"And a shadowhunter would not so easily break our law," she finished for him. "Or commit such an act against their fellow allies." Luke said nothing.

"So are you saying it's neither?" I asked Maryse. Then I paused, thinking. "Maryse?" I asked slowly. "Who was the warlock who got kidnapped?"

Maryse sighed. "I don't know what that had to do with anything, nor do I see how it is your business." She looked at me. "Ragnor Fell," she said finally.

"And where was he staying at the time?" I asked.

Luke, who knew me better than anyone else in the room, must have known I was thinking hard, because he leaned forward, his gaze fixed intently on me. "He was in Magnus' house when he was taken," Luke said. "About a block or so from here. Clary?" He stares at me. "What are you thinking?"

"But how did you know he was taken?" I asked. "Did he call for help?"

"He sent a distress call to the Clave early this morning, at about 3," Alec told me softly. "Clary, what's with all the questions? Do you know something?"

"I think a demon passed my room this morning," I said quietly. Alec shot out of his seat, knocking Maryse's coffee cup over, the brown liquid spilling onto the table. Luke sat there, looking startled.

"What do you mean by 'a demon passed my room?' A demon can't get through the institute wards," Maryse said coldly.

I looked at her. "Well it did, at 2:49. That leaves 10 minutes for the demon to reach Magnus' house and alert Ragnor enough for him to send the distress signal," I said, connecting the dots together.

"Clary," Maryse said again, slowly losing her patience. "A demon can't come anywhere near the institute, let alone pass your window."

Luke was still looking thoughtfully at me. "What if it was a greater demon?"

"No–"

"Either way," I interrupted, "If the kidnapper was able to get past the warlock protective spells, it was probably able to get past shadowhunter wards too. The two are awfully similar."

"But Clary, why didn't you say anything?" Alec asked me. Even recalling the demon last night now seemed like a dream. When I woke up, it didn't seem likely that it had been real. I was about to tell Alec this, when a voice interrupted me.

"Clary has a secret," Jace said from the doorway. I turned around to find Jace, Isabelle and Jon heading into the kitchen. Jace's hair looked ruffled from sleep, and his eyes still looked tired, but he grinned nevertheless before starting to dig through the cupboards for food.. "This should be interesting. Do tell."

"A demon passed my room at night," I said casually. Jace froze, clearly not expecting this to be my answer.

"What?!" Jon shouted. That got Isabelle's attention too.

"A demon?" Isabelle asked. "But they can't pass our wards."

"A greater demon can," Alec said, from where he was still seated next to me. "And we think that the demon Clary saw was the same one that kidnapped Ragnor Fell, the warlock."

"I didn't see it," I said quietly. "My sensor just went off." No one seemed to hear me.

Luke stood up, dusting himself off. "I'm going to head back to my pack," he said, looking at Maryse. "I'll let you know if anything else comes up."

"I'll show you out," Maryse said quietly, standing up as well.

Luke smiled at me. "And Clary, try not to bomb yourself up again while I'm gone," he said, winking before walking out of the room, followed by Maryse. I sank a little deeper into my seat, blushing slightly at his comment.

Jon looked at me curiously. "So what exactly happened?" He asked. I looked around to see everyone else staring at me too.

"Nothing, really. My sensor just went off while I was sleeping," I told them.

"Oh, was that why you looked so spooked when I came into your room?" Isabelle asked. I nodded.

Jon looked at her weirdly. "Why were you in Clary's room?" He asked. Isabelle shrugged at him.

"Wait," Jace said, ignoring what Jon said. "So you didn't see what the demon looked like?" I shook my head. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing," Alec said. "It's Clave business now, not ours. We shouldn't interfere."

"Oh come on Alec," Isabelle whined. "Don't you at least want to check out the garden outside Clary's window?"

Alec looked at her hard, but her stare didn't waver. "Fine. But if any of you get killed on this stupid top secret mission or whatever you want to call it," he pointed his finger around the room. "It has _nothing_ to do with me."

* * *

"That was a complete waste of time," Alec grumbled as we trudged back inside the institute after finding nothing. "I told you it was a useless idea."

"Shut up Alec, it didn't hurt to check" Jace said lightly, slapping a hand into his back, making him stumble forward. Alec turned and glared at him.

"Watch it Jace," Alec growled. "I refuse to have my back broken just because my stupid parabatai forgot that he has some fancy magical angelic power."

"It's not magical," Jon said, making his way into the house after us, shutting the door loudly. "Only warlocks are lame enough for magic," he said carelessly.

"Jon!" I scolded him, at the same time as another voice called "Watch who you're calling lame, nephilim," from the dining area. We all turned to find Maryse sitting at the table like she was this morning, a new cup of coffee in her hands, the spilt one from earlier still on the table, but where Luke was sitting before sat a very sparkly, familiar warlock.

"Magnus," I said.

"Hello biscuit," he beamed at me, picking at one of the gelled spikes in his hair. "I see you're settling in quite well. And you, Jonathan," he nodded his way, "are still as repulsive as ever."

Jon looked dumbfound. "You don't even know me," he said.

"Ah, but I don't have to. All your kind are exactly the same." he looked at Maryse. "No offence."

"Mum, what's going on," Alec asked, stepping forward. His blue eyes were wide with confusion.

Magnus looked up, smiling at Alec. "And who might you be?"

"Does it matter?" Alec asked, but blushed slightly nevertheless. Thankfully, his mother didn't seem to notice. Jace, on the other hand, started grinning wildly, looking down at his feet.

"I will have a group of Shadowhunters come over to your apartment to investigate the disappearance," Maryse said to Magnus. "We'll decide what we're going to do from there."

"Fine," Magnus said curtly, standing up. "Now, if that's all, I know how to show myself out." He looked around at us. "I would say that it was a pleasure meeting you all, but it really wasn't." Then he focused on Alec, his mysterious cat eyes softening a fraction, not enough for most to notice. "As for you," he looked like he was going to say something, but decided against it. "Goodbye." And with that, he stomped out, dropping a few specks of his glitter onto the floor on his way out. Maryse wasn't too far behind him.

"Poor mother," Isabelle said absentmindedly to no one. "Chasing around downworlders all day."

"Alec," Jace wolf whistled cheekily, earning a hard punch from Alec. "Someone's caught themselves a hot date."

"Shut it Jace," Alec said, not meeting any of our eyes. "Don't be so daft. He asked for my name. He did _not_ ask me on a date."

Jace grinned. "No, not yet."

With a growl, Alec leapt onto Jace's back, knocking him onto the floor. Jon, Izzy and I watched amusedly as the two started wrestling, soon cut off by a loud exclaim. We turned to find Hodge looking alarmed. I had seen so little of him, I nearly forgot he even existed.

"Good God," he said, before he started rambling, too fast for me to keep up. "How dare….. Outrageous…. Get up….. Your mother… so dead….."

"Did you get any of that?" I asked Jon quietly, who was next to me. He grinned, as he looked at Hodge, who was still scolding Alec and Jace.

"No."

* * *

 **Hahaha! Jonabelle was hinted, Ragnor was kidnapped, and Alec blushed! *cue the NAWWWWWWWWWWWW!* Haha, so normally this is the part of the story where I rant, but I don't think there's really anything to say today... so... PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW OR A FAV OR A FOLLOW OR SOMETHING HAHAHA**

 **Happy reading!**

 **~Hannapple3**


	10. AN

**A/N**

 **Hi Guys!**

 **Ik, ik, I was supposed to update last Sunday, but I was a bit held up with Easter services and stuff, plus I was dealing with some killer jet lag from America :/ But yeah... I'm not sure when exactly I'm going to post the next chapter, because I'm going to start editing some of my work on this story, adding in bits and pieces... that sort of stuff. It might take a while... maybe three-four weeks? I'm not very sure, but hang on, because this story isn't dead.**

 **Happy belated Easter guys, and God bless!**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **~Hannapple3**


	11. AN 2

**A/N**

 **Okay, so i know that I said i was doing a little editing. Disregard that. I'm going to change quite a lot of content, so I'm very sorry to those who've read this far. Please disregard the story so far. It will have the same storyline, but i'm going to change the character personalities a little. So sorry, but thx guys for bearing wt me. I'll let you know when I finish with all of the chapters.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **~Hanapple3**


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